


City Lights

by strobel1t3



Category: Persona 5, Persona 5 Royal, Persona Series
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Goro Finds Comfort In You, It's The Same For You, Love Triangles, Not Beta Read, Romance, Slow Burn, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-13 12:48:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 46,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29028969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strobel1t3/pseuds/strobel1t3
Summary: Being in a new country it is a big deal. But you're not alone, having your loving grandmother by your side.Shujin Academy, the city lights in Shibuya, eating fast food as your life depends on it.It seemed fun, at least you thought that on the airplane.Friendships, betrayals. Love and hate. The things that you never saw it coming, were there. Waiting for you.
Relationships: Akechi Goro & You, Akechi Goro/Reader, Akechi Goro/You, Amamiya Ren (Persona Series)/Reader, Persona 5 Protagonist/Reader
Comments: 20
Kudos: 47





	1. Arriving Home

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Just in case.  
> (Y/N) = your name.  
> (L/N) = last name.  
> (N/N) = nick name.  
> (Y/C) = your country.
> 
> **FEEDBACK IS ALWAYS APPRECIATED 💖 ******

After a long flight, your new life in Japan was waiting for you. Everything was so pretty and amazing, the things that you dreamed of were actually true.

Leaving behind everything at home was indeed difficult, but not impossible. The tears on your cheeks... those were followed by a big smile. A new life, a brand new start.

Being 16 in Tokyo was overwhelming, the videos that you saw, honestly, gave you some big expectations. You didn’t consider yourself as the “Protagonist” material. You were somewhere else, pretty far from that.

“Where are you from?” The driver asked in a poor english, making the two of you laugh. He didn't know why you were laughing, but he ended up joining in.

“We came from (Y/C), but we are both from Japan.” Your grandma started speaking japanese, and you found it a little bit funny, the tone of her voice changed. “Well, I am from Japan, but she is my granddaughter."

“Oh! I see, I see. Welcome to Japan, young lady.” A few moments later, the middle-age man looked at your grandma. “She knows how to speak the language?” He asked again, this time being a little curious.

“Yes, I do.” You answered the question with a big smile on your face. For the first time, knowing the language was useful. Finally, you were able to speak Japanese with someone who wasn’t part of your family and you felt really proud. “So, thank you very much.”

“Shibuya, huh? It’s a big city. You think you’re ready for that?” After hearing you grandma and the taxi driver talk for a while, you started to feel your eyes a little bit heavy. The drive from the Haneda Airport to Shibuya was long and you had time to sleep.

When you finally reached your destination, you finally assumed that this was a new beginning. The building looked so elegant and... expensive.

With the help of the taxi driver, you managed to get your luggage out of the car. Grandma paid automatically, wishing him a good day.

Later, inside the elevator, you pressed one of the buttons: floor number 5. As soon as you got out, there was your door.

“Well, shit...” You had to admit, your grandma had a lot of money. A few minutes from the principal station of Shibuya, was your new house. A nice apartment with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. In pictures... it didn’t look that fancy.

“Are you sure we can afford all of this?” The answer to that question was a simple nod. Once again, you felt somehow dumb. “I mean, I know but... are you sure?” You basically sprinted to her, grabbing both of her hands.

“I am sure, God knows how longer I will be able to live with you. This was your dream after all and I’m here to make you happy.” She said, giving you a sweet smile. “Feels good to be home.”

The fact of your grandmother being Japanese wasn’t a big deal. All of that connection was never there and you never wanted it. But this time you did.

It all started on a dream. A weird one.

_**“So you came... Finally.  
Then I shall tell you something, (Y/N).  
Come home, not only for you, but all the world.” ** _

There she was, a little girl wearing a blue dress. Mesmerizing voice with a strong aura.

You dreamed about her a lot, being almost repetitive.

_**“We are anticipating your presence in this place.  
Please, hurry.”** _

It's been nearly 10 months since then.

The first thought that got into your head was the fact that it was practically impossible to go from your country to Japan. Well, yes, your grandmother lived there much of her childhood and adolescence, perhaps it was not so difficult to convince her, but the problem was not that, but your parents.

Your life used to be arranged by them, as if you were their puppet. Deep in your heart, you faithfully thought they were doing it for your own good. And maybe it was like that, but they didn’t show it.

From your grades to your friendships, everything should please them. You hated it deeply, as everyone else would.

Learning Japanese at home was one of the best things that could have happened to you, and it was all thanks to your father. He was pretty intense with Japanese classes more than anything.

To your surprise, they did not refuse your proposal. They supported the idea quite enthusiastically and you never saw them with that energy, it was strange. But, how could you complain? Your dream was coming true.

_**"Soon we will meet, do not hesitate to prepare...”** _

"(N/N), are you listening to me? Tomorrow we need to get your uniform from the academy." Your grandmother spent several minutes trying to get your attention, while you were sitting in your new chair looking out the window. "I need you to find me a way to get to Shujin, I don’t remember the area so well." She commented, already carrying her second suitcase to her room.

"Yeah, don’t worry. I’ll look for it." You said, looking at the train map to find a way to Aoyama Itchome. It was not far at all, a mere 15 minutes by train. Having a station on the same block from your school. Japan was quite convenient.

"Do you want to eat something after that, (N/N)? It’s Saturday, we could enjoy the day." Her scream scared you a little, you had no idea she could raise her voice that much. Your grandmother wasn’t weak, but she had to take care of herself, even if she didn’t want to. "I know a place, I don’t know if it’s still open. But I’d like to take you to that area."

"Of course, where is it? I hope it’s not too far from here, I don’t want us to get lost." You asked nervously, raising your voice too, you had never visited Japan. And you didn’t want to. Your mom had given you the idea that it wasn’t a good country since you were a kid and she was very reluctant to let you learn the language, but your dad insisted that it was quite useful to be fluent in it.

"Yongen-Jaya, it’s not far from Shibuya." Your grandmother’s tone of voice had diminished but thanks to the fact that she was in the living room again. She was already in her pajamas, ready to rest. Such a long trip deserved a good rest.

"Yongen-Jaya? Let me search if we have something nearby, I still have the map on my phone..." You were slowly enchanted by Japan’s train system. "We are about 20 minutes away, no later than 30. It’s amazing how everything is connected."

After that conversation, your new home was pretty quiet. With your grandmother going to bed at 8:00 P.M, you were on your computer finding out about your new school again.

There wasn’t much information, plus a couple of photos of the classrooms and their extracurricular activities. It looked like a very important school, very focused on sport. Which you weren’t very good at.

"Get to know our Student Council..." You started reading, it was a new section that curiously wasn’t there before. The first photo was of the Student Council President. "Makoto Niijima, third year." You looked at her carefully, in the photo she didn’t look that happy. A somewhat forced smile, as if she didn’t want to be photographed. But that didn’t take away the fact that she was too pretty, she looked like a princess.

"Kyoko Takahashi, third year." The vice president was quite the opposite, she looked really happy to be there. Her smile was so big.

You wanted to keep reading, so you could see the new pages that had been updated. The clubs seemed to contain new information about their members. But you were falling asleep without realizing it. You were more than grateful for not having jet lag.

Luckily, the apartment was already furnished. Having a room to yourself was not anything new, but being relaxed was.

When you laid down, you sank into a deep sleep. Not even having the opportunity to accommodate yourself in a more comfortable way.

Suddenly, you felt like your wrists were bothering you. You had no idea if your dream was being so realistic or if someone was really pulling them, but it was something you had to check by opening your eyes.

And that’s when you got a big, big surprise. They were chains, and you weren’t in your new room. It was a darker place, worthy of a dark movie.

A few laughs took place and made your head explode in pain. As if you hadn’t rested properly in weeks. Without hesitating twice, you decided to get up from what could be called "bed".

Two small-looking girls to be about 13 years old. It was curious how they were a mirror of themselves. They said absolutely nothing, just stared at you.

A few seconds passed before they began to move, leaving a strange-looking man in plain sight.

"Trickster... Welcome to my Velvet Room." His voice made a shiver run through your body, feeling extremely confused and in turn, horrified. That smile he possessed seemed to be full of mysteries.

"So you’ve come to, Inmate." On the other hand, the voice of one of the girls was unbearable. As if she were in the mood to denigrate all the time.

“The you in reality is currently fast asleep.'' Instead, you felt a little calm when you heard the other girl’s voice. She didn’t sound the same as a plaintiff. “You are experiencing this as a dream.”

That’s when your headache began to subside, feeling like you were getting better. All of that was ruined by hearing that squeaky voice again. You just decided to ignore it.

“Welcome, I am delighted to make your acquaintance.” The confusion did not take long to return, you did not understand what was happening.

**_“This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter.”_ **

“It is a room that only those who are bound by a contract. May enter.” He said. “I am Igor, the master of this place. Remember it well.”

At that moment, you felt like you were suddenly falling asleep.

“Don’t disrespect our Master, inmate.” You didn’t have a shred of strength, no energy all over your body.

“Justine, stop it.” Justine? That’s all you could think about until Igor started talking again.

“I summoned you to speak of important matters. It involves your life as well.” That last sentence... he said like you were worthless.

"How important is it to involve my life?" With a lump in your throat you managed to respond as strong as possible, wanting to get out of the chains you had on.

He completely ignored your question, taking a look at what looked like a prison. You didn’t understand why you were in such a gloomy place.

“Still, this is a surprise...” He remarked. “The state of this room reflects the state of your own heart. To think a prison would appear as such.”

That last thing you heard... stirred your stomach a bit.

**_“You truly are a prisoner of fate, just like him.”_ **

Just like him? What do you mean by that? That was the only thing that crossed your mind. If in the beginning you weren’t understanding anything, now less.

“In the near future, there is no mistake that ruin awaits you.”

“Ruin? What are you talking about.” One of your hands held tight one of the bars, wanting to understand what he meant. You wanted to escape no matter what.

“Worry not. You must be “rehabilitated”. Rehabilitated toward freedom...” That last word didn’t make you feel comfortable. It gave you a lot of resentment.

“That is your only means to avoid ruin... Do you have the resolve to challenge the distortion of the world?”

You were speechless, not knowing what to answer. Your logic at the time was not helpful, which confused you. But Igor seemed to understand your heart.

“Allow me to observe the path of your rehabilitation.”

At that moment, the girls who looked like twins came back in front of you.

“Ah, pardon me for not introducing the others.” Igor mentioned with some irritation in his voice, continuing with his own. “To your right is Caroline; to your left, Justine. They serve as wardens here.”

“Hmph, try and struggle as hard as you like.” That irritating voice rang again, making you want her to shut up automatically.

“The duty of the wardens is to protect inmates. We are also your collaborators... That is if you remain obedient.” Her words were kind of scary. But she sounded more responsible and you liked that.

“I shall explain the roles of these two in another occasion.” It was more of a random comment, as if it didn’t matter.

“Now then, it seems the night is waning. It is almost time.

Take your time to slowly come to understand this place.

We will merely meet again, eventually.”

And it was in that instant that a siren sounded, in a somewhat inhuman volume. That was your cue to go back to sleep. Your steps were slow, the weight of your foot was annoying.

Little did you know, that was just the beginning.

* * *

The next day you woke up in your room, thanks to your grandmother repeatedly knocking on your door.

It was 6:30 and you had to be at school at 8:45. Principal Kobayakawa was waiting for you both at that time.

"Do you think I’ll look good in that uniform?" You asked your grandma while you stood in the frame of her door.

"It’s going to look beautiful on you, stop questioning those things." She said, throwing a towel into your face, and you did nothing but laugh. Then you went to the bathroom at the end of the hall.

Your shower didn’t last more than 30 minutes, you needed to get rid of all that sweat that nightmare had left you. You felt so much cooler, ready for the day ahead.

You dried yourself a little in the bathroom, and then you went back to your room. Your clothes were still in your luggage, so today you were going to dedicate yourself to putting them in your closet. Or at least that’s what you were planning.

After a little effort you managed to get a simple outfit, you didn’t want to stand out too much at school.

"I thought you were going to start making me a Japanese-style breakfast." You joked, while leaving your towel on one of the chairs, reminding you to take it back to the bathroom to dry it better.

There was a simple breakfast on the table, but you couldn’t complain. Your grandmother did it with love. A coffee and a couple of toast was enough to fill your stomach.

"I told you we were going to lunch today, the place is very good so you must have a little empty belly." She sipped her tea, turning on the TV. On the news channel they were only showing the weather for those who were about to start their day.

"Well, I hope so, you know I like to eat well." You mentioned while you were biting your toast. On the other hand, you felt quite nervous about your first day of school. It was pretty close.

"We should be out in about 15 minutes." You added to the conversation, after you both finished your breakfast.

"Okay, let me grab my bag and then I’m ready." Your grandmother got up from the table, placing the cups on top of the plate where the toasts were. She left it on the counter, saying she’s going to wash it when we get home.

You still had to prepare yourself in the mirror, comb your hair. You didn’t want to look impressionable in front of the school authorities. So without hesitation, you went to the bathroom, while the TV played a somewhat catchy melody.

“Everyday's great at your Junes!” You’ve never heard such a cheerful commercial, Japan was indeed full of surprises.

When you ended up in front of the mirror you just brushed your hair one more time, and then tried to get your clothes right.

"Yeah, I think I’m fine." Smiling to yourself.

It had been too long since you could decide on your own what to wear, it was a sad thing to feel free with something so small.

"(Y/N) It’s time to go, it’s already 8:00." Time had flown by, but it was better that way. You didn’t like to wait.

"I’m coming, let me go get my backpack." You almost ran into your room, grabbing your favorite backpack. That’s where you put your wallet, phone and your keys. Adding up a copy of your documentation if they needed it.

And that’s how you both headed towards Shibuya Station. In about 10 minutes you arrived there. Taking the time to also buy a travel card.

"It says here that in about 3 minutes the train arrives." Already at the Ginza Line, the both of you waited patiently. Luckily, the train wasn’t as crowded as expected.

Compared to your country, transportation in Japan was really fast and reached anywhere you could think of. You were so grateful to live near such a large station.

After a while, you arrived at Aoyama Itchome station. Your grandmother found it very funny that your school was just a few steps from the station. You had no excuse to be late.

As early as 8:40, you got into the academy. Luckily at that time everyone was already in class, so you were spared the embarrassment of being criticized by them.

"Oh, Mrs. Yabuki! (L/N)-san! It’s a pleasure to meet you two." A girl’s voice showed up in the hallway, you wanted to assume she was a teacher.

"I am Professor Kawakami." She bowed, continuing what she had to say. "This year I’m (L/N)’s Homeroom teacher."

You were a little shocked that anyone would recognize you, but on the other hand, they had an ID photo of you. In addition, your Asian features were not that strong, you looked (and were) foreign.

"If you want, you can already enter the principal’s office, he is waiting for you." She mentioned while opening the door to the alleged room. "Please, come in."

"Welcome to Shujin Academy!" His appearance was pretty funny, but you managed to not be so obvious about it.

"It’s nice to have you both here, especially you, (L/N)." He remarked somehow cheerful. "Your notes are amazing, a perfect GPA. Just what we need in this school."

Your grades were not something that would make you feel proud, but rather a sour taste. It reminded you of home and everything you suffered from having them. Still, you had to be educated, prove that you were a good student.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Kobayakawa." You replied with a simple smile, hoping that this meeting would not be too long.

"We will try to make you feel comfortable in our facilities!" The man kept talking, he seemed too excited to have someone with a perfect GPA. "We wish you to be the pride of Shujin Academy!"

Again, all that pressure had fallen on you.

"Yabuki-san, I’m sure you’re very proud of (L/N)." Your grandmother only smiled at him nodding, she knew pretty well how this situation made you feel. "Well, she’s Miss Kawakami."

"We have already introduced ourselves, a few moments ago." Your new teacher responded, her expression on her face was different now, as if she couldn’t stand the Principal. "Here is your uniform, it is the size you indicated in the mail." She gave you a bag where all the school uniforms came.

"Thank you so much." That was all you could say, while you took all that carefully and put it in your backpack. Trying to be careful with the shoes too.

"We need you to take a picture on Monday for your school ID, so you’re completely ready to start classes." He mentioned as he slowly walked away from the principal’s side. "Your books will be in your locker, which is number 23."

"Well, there’s not much more to say. I completely assume you’ve already read the rules so I won’t worry about it. Your school record is wonderful.” Getting so many compliments was getting tedious, especially when you wanted to go home. "Ah! And welcome to Japan too, (L/N)." Kobayakawa mentioned with a smile, that it was somewhat uncomfortable.

"So that’s all for today, right?" Your grandmother added, hinting that you both wanted to retire from the establishment. All Kobayakawa did was nod and wish us a good day. So did Professor Kawakami.

"Before I forget, (L/N)! On Monday I’ll teach you how to get to your classroom." It was the last thing you heard before you left the office and you didn’t hesitate to show her a smile. You did like her.

"Well, Yabuki-san~" You used a very exaggerated tone to refer to your grandmother, laughing automatically at her expression. She didn’t like Mr. Kobayakawa either. "Are we on our way to Yongen-Jaya? I’m starving." You smiled as you left school, ready to go to lunch.

It didn’t take you long to get to the train station, waiting for their transport to arrive again.

**“Hey! Look at the news.”**

**“Oh, no. Not again.”**

Your grandmother looked confused, not understanding what they meant.

And since a lot of people were leaving the station, you decided to ask a cop what was going on.

"Hello, excuse me. Could you tell us why people are leaving the station?" You tried to sound as formal as possible, since you didn’t want to bother him either.

"Oh, miss. There was an accident at a station near this one. Train service is going to be delayed for today." His response was quick and concise, which you greatly appreciated. With a simple bow you thanked him, returning to your grandma.

"I think our lunch is suspended for today, there was a pretty big accident." With your head you told her to leave the train station, and find another option to go home. A taxi was the most viable.

"An accident? That's weird." She mentioned, walking beside you. "Well, we’ll call a taxi, don’t think I’ll walk home." You could only answer with a laugh, you weren’t planning on walking back either.

After a while, you wished you hadn’t left home, the taxi ride was hell. Traffic just wasn’t on your side, nor anyone else’s. Two hours on a trip that lasted no more than about 30 minutes. You were actually hangry.

"Is it too soon to say that I hate Japan?" you asked, throwing yourself on the couch without a second thought. "I’m starving."

After saying that, you turned on the TV. And the first thing that came up was about the accident. Many, many injured people to be true, you were very grateful for not being on that train with your grandma.

"I could order something, there must be thousands of food apps in Tokyo." You added, searching your backpack for your phone. "You want a pizza? I don’t think it’ll take them long to get us one."

You had heard her answer, but couldn’t pay attention to it. Your eyes had noticed a certain application on your phone and you wondered where it came from, as you hadn’t previously installed it. Before you got any viruses, you removed it without even opening it. You didn’t want to make too much of it, since you used to eat your head off with those things.

After you downloaded the app and ordered the pizza, you waited about 15 minutes. It arrived relatively quickly. Which you liked a lot.

You didn’t do much else during that day after eating, just lie in your room and listen to some music. At that moment Santify of Years&Years sounded, a song that did not fail to make you sleep.

And after a long day, that’s all you wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! This is my first fic, so i'm kinda nervous about it.  
> Just to make clear, english is not my first language, so there may be some mistakes on this chapter. ):  
> Don’t worry tho, i'll be editing this on the weekend.
> 
> I hope you like it,,,, this is like my own child.
> 
> Our boi Akechi is going to be here for the next chapter, so wait for him!
> 
> (I will try to upload every Thursday!)
> 
> Thanks for reading, luv ya. <3


	2. Freedom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!!!! This is the second chapter. I know that I said I was going to upload this on Tuesday, but I had a problem with my eyesight. ;;;
> 
> A few days ago I saw some comments under a TikTok video and I ended up pretty scared. It was about how they hated fics from non-native English speakers. ;;
> 
> I know that my English is kinda difficult to read, but I’m always trying my best! 
> 
> So, don’t worry! I will try to improve my skills in this language. 
> 
> **FEEDBACK IS ALWAYS APPRECIATED. 💖 ******
> 
> Update 1: I had some mistakes with the name of reader’s persona, I mixed up the name between the English and Spanish version. ;;; sorry
> 
> Update 2: I think I already corrected everything! Let me know if you guys see any mistakes. 🥺💖

You didn’t do much on your Sunday, you just put all your uniforms in your closet and organized your new bag for the big day.

So after that, all you did was lie down. The flight still had you kind of tired.

Tomorrow was your first day in Shujin and you were a little scared, but who wouldn’t be? It was a new school... in another country, with a whole different language. 

All you could do was try to calm your nerves and stay calm. And you did. Until it was time for dinner.

"(N/N), dinner is ready!" Your grandmother called you from the kitchen, waiting for you to eat. 

"I’m coming." You yelled a little loudly for her to hear, even though you were already getting out of bed. The path to the kitchen was not very long. 

On the table this time was a nice bowl of curry, which made you mouth drool. Your grandma wasn’t the best at cooking, but when she tried she could do really delicious things. By pouring you some water, you began to dine quietly.

"What? Another accident?" You heard her talk with some anguish, you didn’t understand what she was talking about until you turned your eyes to the TV.

"You’re shittin me..." You added, you couldn’t believe it. You didn’t want to rush on your opinions but you thought Japan was a pretty safe country. 

"The mouth, (Y/N)." It was a joke, but you apologized right away. Although, she seemed kind of annoying with your apologies.

"Two accidents in a single weekend...." You brought a big piece of rice to your mouth. "It’s weird, you know?" You turned your gaze back to television, listening to the testimonies of some survivors.

After a few more minutes at the table, you had both finished your dinner. It was your day to clean the dishes, so you went to the kitchen to do it. Being only two people, it took a short time. And you couldn’t be more grateful.

The sofa had become your favorite place, having a beautiful view of the city of Shibuya and so on, television. 

To change the atmosphere and make it not so depressing, you changed the channel. It seemed to be one dedicated to music and that interested you a lot. 

"Wait, I think I know her." You said, moving your face towards the screen as if that was helping you remember better.

“Rise! It’s amazing to have you here tonight.” Her name was enough to remember her. You’d heard one of her songs when you were younger, which you still knew the lyrics to perfection.

"Oh, no! It’s a pleasure for me to be here." You heard her speak, and you ended up laughing at how beautiful her voice was when she spoke. It was really cute. 

And so you probably wasted an hour of your night, you stayed focused listening to her interview. She presented three songs, with the concept that she had ceased to be an idol to be an "artist". Which you considered very admirable.

When it was 11:00 P.M, you decided it was time to go to sleep. The last thing you wanted was to go unprepared, you wanted to make a good impression on your new class.

"(N/N), turn off the lights and lock the door. I’ll go to sleep." Your grandmother mentioned as she went to the kitchen for a glass of water. "Let me know when you’re arriving tomorrow, yeah?"

"Yeah, don’t worry." You showed her a smile as you got up from the couch, feeling already tired.

After you did everything you were asked to do, you ended up in your bed again. With the lights off and the door closed, you opened your window a bit. Letting the moon brighten your room a bit. 

You were still assimilating your new life, and that’s how a little tear fell down your cheek. You thought back to Igor’s words, you knew that wasn’t a dream.

"Freedom... How funny." You laid your head on the pillow, and you took your phone. With a couple of texts from your mom that you decided to ignore, you set your alarm for tomorrow. 

Until you got a surprise.

"Again? I thought I deleted you." Without hesitation, you pressed that app until you came up with the option to delete it.

It was the last thing you ever thought of since you had fallen into a deep sleep again. Which would suit you, since you had to get up at 6:00 in the morning. Just to get ready and have a good breakfast.

Luckily the weather in Tokyo was not too heavy at the moment, it was rather refreshing. Having your window open was more than enough to make you feel fresh. Besides, you could enjoy the silence of the area, despite being somewhat close to the big city.

How you entered Shujin Academy was no mystery, with the help of agencies in your country you managed to get a couple of schools that offer you a vacancy. Although they were all in excellent condition, the only one that had caught your attention was Shujin. And they took you as a student, loving your GPA.

The next morning you woke up thanks to the unbearable noise of your alarm, generating an intense desire to throw your cell phone out the window. You had to take a bath, so you rushed to the bathroom to do it. 

In about 15 minutes, you were out of the shower. You didn’t like it to take too long as you considered it a waste of time. 

"Morning..." When you passed by your grandmother’s room, quietly you wished her a good day. At the time you had no idea if she was awake or asleep, but you had a habit of greeting her the same way.

Being in your room again, you had seen the clock. You still had plenty of time, which you liked a lot.

The school uniform wasn’t very ugly in itself, but you didn’t like the fact that you had to wear suspenders at all. Seeing you in the mirror with that on just gave you some cringe, so you had a few moments to question whether or not to use them.

"No one’s going to see them with the jacket on, right?" You thought it was uncomfortable too. It wasn’t like your skirt was going to fall off if you didn’t wear the suspenders. 

And that’s how you decided not to use them, hiding them in your closet so you wouldn’t see them again. You didn’t want to look like a clown in your new uniform.

Having everything on, you looked in the mirror. While the turtle neck was new to you, you thought it looked great on you. 

It felt good to have a fresh start.

"I told you, (N/N)." You heard a certain voice in the hallway and knew whose it was. Your smile just grew. "You look good in that, so stop looking in the mirror." She came back with her typical humor, making you laugh a little. You were surprised she was up so early.

"Why are you awake? I thought you were going to get up later." You took your hairdryer, mentally preparing yourself for the noise it was going to make. "Go back to bed." You ended the conversation, hinting that you didn’t give her room to argue. 

"I’m going to stay up until you let me know you got to class." She said, returning to her room as if nothing had happened. She didn’t feel like listening to you again.

After you finished drying your hair, you threw the device into your bed. All you needed at the time was something on your stomach and you preferred coffee.

You weren’t much of a breakfast, you were fine with a simple tea or coffee. Your grandmother, on the other hand, didn’t like it at all. But she lost all faith when you didn’t eat what she prepared for you.

By 7:00, you were already with your cup of coffee in your hand. Ready to return messages to your mom.

**Mom**

**8:00 P.M**

Did you ever try to answer me? 

**8:50 P.M**

I don’t know what time it is there, but I don’t deserve to wait this long for an answer from you.

**9:25 P.M**

(N/N), I miss you.

**10:40 P.M**

Your grandmother is not answering my texts either.

**You**

**7:01 A.M**

Sorry, I was getting ready for my first day of school, which is today.

**7:02 A.M**

I understand that I can’t use my phone in class. 

So I won’t answer until later.

**7:05 A.M**

I miss you guys ):

The last thing that you wrote was a total lie, but you preferred that to an unnecessary reproach. You were no longer in a position to endure all those problems again.

You finished your coffee when you realized it was already getting cold. Talking to your mother was something that disconnected you from the world and you didn’t understand why.

When it was 7:20, you decided it was the perfect time to go out. 

"Fuck, I feel weird now." You said in front of the mirror. You already had the new school bag in your hands and it didn’t look as good as you thought it would look.

After that, you thought it would be better to leave home. What good would it do to see your reflection if you no longer liked what you saw. It didn’t take you long to get to your front door, so in a matter of seconds, you managed to put your shoes on. 

You locked the door very carefully, you didn’t want to bother your neighbors, let alone have problems with them. And your way to the elevator wasn’t the most entertaining of all.

Being on the streets of Shibuya again, you felt very small. Your grandmother wasn’t there to guide you, you had to do it alone. It was indeed a huge city.

"Well, I have the map on my phone, I can’t get lost." That thought crossed your mind when you started walking towards the Shibuya Station. At the time you thought it was the perfect opportunity to listen to some music, so you quickly put on your headphones, playing one of your favorite songs: Ending Credit by Uhm Jung Hwa.

It was curious to see how many people there could be in one street. But that thought completely collapsed when you came to the Shibuya crossing. Where a sea of people stood.

You just couldn’t see when to cross, the traffic light was too far from your sight; so you only walked when the whole crowd did.

When you finally managed to fill the Ginza Line, you felt very relieved. There were not too many people and you could walk quietly. 

Having paid for your ticket, you suddenly changed your mind. The platform was full of people and what caught your attention, quite a few students in Shujin’s uniform. That made you feel like you were obviously on the right track.

But something had caught your attention and that was the sheer amount of papers you’d seen on the floor. And in the distance, you got to see a guy who was picking up another pair off the ground. 

With some fear and a pair of eyes on you, you decided to take all those papers you saw on the floor with some care so you don’t bend them too much. Although some of them already looked a little wet, you separated them into another pile. If the boy already had problems losing them, you didn’t want to generate any more.

When you thought you picked them all up, you approached the boy slowly. 

Before you had checked and the subway wasn’t coming until about 4 minutes. There was some delay because of the weekend accidents.

"Hi, sorry if I’m bother you! But this is yours?" The boy had already risen from the ground, giving an appearance as if nothing had happened. Instead, you would have died of utter shame. 

"Oh, pardon me?" With what you could describe as an angelic smile, he turned his face so he could see you, didn’t understand what you were referring to.

"These papers... A few seconds ago I saw you on the floor trying to pick up a pair." You tried to sound sure of yourself since it was a purely Japanese conversation... with a person you didn’t know at all.

It took a few seconds for him to give you an answer, but you could see how he was looking at the documents to confirm if they were his. Throughout your life, you have developed the talent of how to perceive people’s actions.

"They are, in fact! Thank you very much and I apologize for the inconvenience." Returning to you that smile that seemed to be typical of a prince, he took the papers. Keeping them quickly in his briefcase.

"It’s nothing, really." You smiled back while you denied with both hands. "If I were you, I would have been quite nervous, no one did help." You regretted the fact of saying that because you didn’t want to bother a stranger with an unnecessary conversation.

"Oh, it’s nothing to worry about!" His voice made you feel very relaxed, he sounded like a very friendly person. "It’s concerning how many people are in here..."

"Yeah, there are too many people to be true." As you answered, you took a look at the platform. There were a lot more people. "It’s because of weekend accidents, isn’t it?"

"Indeed, in recent months there have been various problems like these. It is curious..." He mentioned, noting how his tone of voice had softened a bit. "Sorry, I have not yet introduced myself. I am Akechi, Goro Akechi." At that moment, you could see how something had changed in his eyes for a millisecond. But you decided it was better to ignore it. "Nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine, I am (Y/N) (L/N)..." You didn’t know if this was the right time to bow, so with some fear you made one. And with your bad luck, he figured it out. 

"Might you not be from around here?" Akechi questioned, bowing his head a bit while letting a very small laugh be heard. You felt as I had begun to analyze your entire face and appearance. "I hope I didn’t bother you with the question."

"No, I’m actually not from Japan." You again denied with your hands. "I’m from far, far away." You made a little joke, even though you ended up losing focus when you saw that the train was already approaching.

"Would you mind continuing the conversation on the subway?" With wide eyes open, you looked at the tallest man. Did he want to keep talking to me? That’s new. 

"Sure! No problem." You nodded a few times, with a somewhat nervous smile. You weren’t used to people talking to you, they used to do the opposite.

With the subway being already there, you two were among the first to climb. Thanks to destiny, two seats were available. And that’s how the two of you were kind of quick to sit down.

"It’s been a while since I got a seat!” Akechi sounded a bit enthusiastic, which you thought was adorable. "But, (L/N)-san."

"Yes? Is there anything you need?" Nervousness had taken over your entire body, but you thought you had hidden it pretty well. 

"Where are you from?" His way of speaking could be considered typical of a prince and that in effect made you feel a little nervous. "Far, far away isn’t a country." The tone of voice he used became somewhat comical.

"Oh, excuse me. I’m from (Y/C)! That’s actually quite far from here." You mentioned, seeing as the wagon started to get a little tight.

"I see, and may I ask... what are you doing in Japan?" Why a stranger wanted to ask you too many questions, or even worse, why you were answering them. It’s the only thing that crossed your mind at the time.

"My grandmother is from Japan! And well, here I am." You didn’t really know whether to keep talking, but his look told you in a certain way to keep doing it. "At first, I didn’t like the idea of even being in this country... But from one moment to another, I had the urge to come."

"Is your grandmother from here? Where is she from?" he asked with interest, though for a moment you noticed how he had deflected his gaze for a second. "Sorry, I thought I saw someone from my school around here." He commented as he sat in his seat.

"She was born in Shibuya in 1948. She tells me how much this city has changed since then." You smiled with inertia when you talked about it. You loved her very much. "And about the other thing. Do you have problems with someone from school, do you need help?"

You heard him laugh again, which was kind of catchy.

"No, there is no problem, (L/N)-san." His eyes closed slightly when he smiled, while he shook his head.

You didn’t know what else to say, as he hadn’t said anything to continue the conversation either. So you just stared at him for a few more moments, before turning your head.

"My apologies, you were telling me about your grandmother!" That remark made you gesticulate with your hands again, making him understand that it didn’t matter. "Please go ahead, you were interested."

"For a moment I thought I talked a lot. I don’t usually have conversations like... this long, with someone I’ve just met." Your eyes opened slightly after that last thing you had managed to say. "I’m sorry! Don’t get me wrong, Akechi-san. You’re quite nice."

You noticed how people kept getting on the train, which made you nervous. You weren’t the best person to be able to move around in such a crowd. And Akechi could see that.

"Where do you have to get off, (L/N)-san? Aoyama Itchome?" He questioned as he glanced at the station. 

"Yes! Why the question?" Since you had your bag between your legs, you reaffirmed the grip of it. Although your smile faded when you saw the boy’s face.

"I fear to inform you that we have passed that station..." His expression bore some disappointment, rather to himself. "Perhaps, do you know how to get there?"

"You’re joking, right?" You let out a big sigh, it was the last thing you wanted for your first day. A lousy start. "No, I haven’t the faintest idea how to get there."

Arriving at the next station, you noticed Akechi rising from his seat. Maybe it was his station, so you decided to say goodbye to him, but he interrupted you before you started talking.

"(L/N), allow me to accompany you to your school. It was my mistake, so the least I can do is teach you how to get there." His words were a mixture of kindness and in turn, plaintiffs. You couldn’t refuse.

You nodded your head as you stood up from your seat. Luckily for you, a lot of people also got off at that station and it wasn’t going to be an ordeal to do it.

Already on the platform, you turned your gaze to Akechi with a simple question.

"Is this your stop? Are we near your school?" Walking both at the same pace, it was he who now shook his head with some grace. 

"My school is 4 more stations away, but don’t worry. I’ll be there on time." In a way, that made you feel a little more relaxed.

Instead, you started walking to the other side of the station. But he stopped you by calling you by your last name.

"(L/N)-san? Where are you going?" You stopped automatically as if you were a child being scolded by his mother.

"Isn’t it quicker to take the subway going in the opposite direction?" You turned your whole body around, making eye contact with him.

"Actually, no. Due to the accidents, it will take longer to wait for the next one, it is faster to walk." He waited for you to approach him so he could continue walking. "In fact, we’re not that far away." 

"That’s great but, really. Don’t feel obligated to accompany me. I can look at my map!" You commented on that when you had managed to leave the station. It wasn't that big.

"I insist, so please. Follow me." You didn’t know if he was upset with you or himself, but his way of speaking had changed a bit. "We are only 7 blocks away."

The road to Shujin was a heavy one, no one had dared to say anything. But what could you expect from two strangers being together? Not too much.

Until Akechi opened the door for a conversation again. 

"For how long have you been here?" He asked when you both stopped before crossing the street, the traffic light had just turned green.

"Since Friday, so I’m relatively new to Japan." You didn’t know what else to say and he could see that. Still, you decided to plunge your gaze into the sky, suddenly it was completely cloudy.

"Oh, so you noticed that too. It looks like it’s going to rain. " When you looked down, now he was looking at the sky with a certain nostalgia. "Did you bring an umbrella?" He asked again. 

"I have one in my bag, it’s a habit." By mistake, he could tell you were watching him. So he smiled at you. "You know..."

"Always be prepared." This was a phrase you both said at the same time, causing a soft laugh again.

The conversation did not continue, as the traffic light had turned red again; but the good thing was that it was no longer a very uncomfortable situation. Although you two were already about 4 blocks away, it started to rain. Neither of you wanted to get to school wet, so you used your umbrella.

Then later...

"Akechi-san, we’re a block away, aren’t we?" You said. "I’m fine from here and I think you should go back to the station. I don’t want you to be late."

"I was about to mention the same thing to you, actually. I don’t want to have any problems and I think if I take a taxi, I’ll be fine." He mentioned with a little more energy, he was positive not to be late.

"Again, (L/N)-san, I apologize for the inconvenience." After saying that, he bowed to you. "But I must admit, it was refreshing to talk to someone like this after a while."

"I can say the same, it was very nice." Your smile was pretty big this time, so much that you weren’t able to see him well. Your eyes had closed a bit. "Well, we should get going."

"Oh, yes... And thank you for helping me with my paperwork back then." That’s when you got the idea that maybe you made a new friend. 

"It was nothing, really." Along with your words, you began to walk to your destination, still seeing him. "Bye, Akechi-san. Have a good day!" 

"You too!" The last thing you could see of him was how he asked for a taxi. You were calm to know he wasn’t going to be so late for school either.

You were so focused on Akechi’s presence that you had gone unnoticed that there were a few Shujin students around you, also going to class. That made you feel like you weren’t coming too late.

For the same reason, you decided to take out your phone to call your grandmother to let her know you were about to go to school. And luckily, it didn’t take her long to respond.

"Hey, I’m already at the school gate." Before you knew it, you had spoken English to her. That made a group of students turn around to see you. "Fuck..."

"Something happened? Did you make it? You took longer than I thought." Despite being a phone call, you noticed her concern. "Good luck today."

"I passed the station without realizing it, so I had to walk a little in the rain. But I’m fine! So don’t worry." You stopped walking to stand next to a vending machine. Plus, you could talk to her without attracting too much attention.

"All right, let me know when you’re coming home." You heard her yawn, which meant she was kind of sleepy. "I’ll go back to sleep, now I’m calm."

"You were going to sleep anyway." You laughed louder than you would have wanted, but this time, no one was watching you. Which you thanked. "I’m going to class, see you later."

After hearing her say goodbye, you cut off the call and started walking. Still, you hadn’t put your phone in your pocket. Your mom had sent you another message, which you decided to ignore.

"Wha-?!" Some kind of scream took place, which surprised you a bit. That made you look up, to meet a blond-haired guy and next to him, a guy with glasses.

But that wasn’t all, as you decided to watch where they did. And what you saw was pretty surreal. Your instinct told you to approach them, just to feel safe in such a bizarre situation.

"Huh, who are you?" The somewhat rebellious-looking boy asked you, taking a little leap for a surprise. Perhaps you had been a little stealthy in approaching. "Are you also seeing this?"

"In fact, I do." Despite being a short answer, it seemed to be enough for the boy. Since he decided to ignore you completely. 

"We didn’t... come the wrong way though..." He whispered and instantly looked back as if he were trying to remember his track. "Yeah, this should be right."

"It’s my first day here but..." You had no idea if it was appropriate to get into the conversation he was having with his friend, but you still did. "This is the right way, this is supposed to Shujin." You weren’t so convinced since it looked like a castle, but you doubted Akechi was lying to you. Besides, you’d seen a couple of students go down this road.

The boy only looked at you while you were talking, paying you a lot of attention. When you finished, he wanted to continue the conversation.

“I guess we’ll just have to go and ask.” You didn’t think it was the smartest option, but his friend had agreed to that proposal. It was two versus one. 

Walking at the same speed, the three entered that huge castle. Everything was decorated in an extravagant way, but still, it was your first time in a place like this. It was a very weird situation that, in turn, made you a little desperate.

“Th-that’s weird… Where is the school?” He asked, really nervous. 

“Where are we?” The boy with frizzy hair asked too, but he was actually calm about this situation.

“I’m afraid that we don’t know…” You tried to sound as calm as possible so as not to generate more anguish, although it seemed not to be useful.

Within seconds, the yellow-haired guy ended up with his phone in his hand, looking a little worried.“Out of service? Where’d we end up?” You followed his movements with your eyes and his phone went back into his pocket.“The sign was for the school, right?”

“It was, but I’m not sure how we ended up here.” You added up. “This seems so out of place.”

“Right!? You saw it too!” His scream took you by surprise, so you reflexively walked away from him.

“You should calm down.” The boy who seemed to be his friend added, as he noticed that you had become nervous.

“Shit, I’m sorry.” Kind of flustered, he tried to get closer to you. Just making a little bow. He seemed kind of respectful. 

“Guys, who’s this?” You said after seeing a person coming through. They had an armor, it was actually pretty confusing.

“Geez, you freaked me out.” The blond said like it was nothing. “Who are you? You are a student?”

“You are seeing this too, right?” You managed to hear a whisper, which came from the boy with the glasses. And indeed, you had also seen it. Another person in the same armor was approaching.

“H-hey, what’s going on?” You noticed how terror was consuming his body just by listening to him talk.

“We need to run, now!” Despite being highly precipitated, you took the wrists of both of them, starting to run backward. You didn’t even give them time to answer.

“Shit, we are surrounded by them…” You didn’t know who was talking at the time, since you had been kicked in the back.

Next thing you know, the blond boy is on the floor, taking a couple of hits. And as much as you didn’t know him, you couldn’t bear to see that. So you threw yourself on the ground too, trying to protect him from any other blow.

That was the last thing you could remember.

* * *

You were locked in a rather large cell, which was quite striking. But when you realized you were alone, you panicked. You could only wonder where the other boys were and why your back was hurting so much.

When you had enough energy to get off the ground, a couple of bones rang out. And all of a sudden you felt discomfort all over your body. You didn’t understand why.

Being already in the bars of the cell, you began to hear screams. Some with much despair and anguish. You just wished you could have ripped your ears off right now. You didn’t understand how someone could be so cynical as to create such a place.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" You screamed as loud as you could, but then you realized it was the worst mistake you could make; as you began to feel a couple of steps approaching you.

"I swear, that disgusting thief locked me up like nothing. His death has to be more than painful." You heard a man’s voice, and you sensed a great air of superiority. "Who could disrespect me? I am the king."

"We know, your Majesty. We’ll take care of them as soon as we can." 

Who were they referring to? Your classmates? Despite not knowing them, your concern grew rapidly. None of them had any idea where they were and definitely didn’t deserve any of this.

“Where’s the girl, have you seen her?" You heard that tone of voice again that was unbearable. But what he said next made you very disgusted. “She’s hot, don’t you think?”

"Yes, my king." A few laughs took place, but you were just sickened. Even though you didn’t know what he looked like, you were upset that they talked about you like that. 

The steps were definitely coming towards your cell and you had no idea what they were gonna do to you. You just wanted to get away. 

Before they could see you, you took the opportunity to hide behind a barrel. You didn’t know why there was one, but you didn’t want to question your fate. Although to your surprise, on the wall was a small path, where you managed to enter perfectly.

You didn’t care much about getting your uniform dirty, you just wanted to run away from it. But you didn’t want to do it alone, your teammates had to do it too.

When you emerged from there, you managed to escape from your cell. But that freedom didn’t last long.

"There she is, go grab her!" Who seemed to be a guard shouted, pointing at you with his sword. You had nowhere to run to as you found yourself with no way out. It was useless to try to do anything against them.

"Did you really think you could escape? How funny!" Finally, you had a face to a voice. Who called himself the king was nothing more than a man of ridiculous appearance, as if a mother’s baby were being treated.

Out of nowhere, you felt like the tip of a sword was placed in your throat, pressing it like nothing. Any false move could hurt your life. 

Hoping for the worst, you just decided to close your eyes. What good it would do to see how they were playing with your life. 

"Oh! I know who you are." You could hear his every step until he ended up in front of you, you hated his presence. "You are our new transfer student, (L/N)!" Hearing your last name, you scared your eyes out. Why did he know who you were?

"Shut up." With one of your legs, you tried to kick him in the crotch but inevitably you failed, your body was not able to coordinate at the time.

"Oh, when I saw your picture the first time I was thrilled." He completely ignored your attempt to hit him, to start blushing in a rather bizarre way. "Such a hottie in my castle, lucky me~"

"JUST SHUT UP." Without hesitation, you spit in his face, leaving a huge trail of saliva on his cheek. That’s the first thing you came up with. Never in your life have you felt so helpless, you were in the worst possible situation. 

"Instead of being my princess, you could be my jester." A withered hand stood on your face, its smell was disgusting. In a poor attempt at caress, you sensed how he began to whisper in your ear. "We could get you a sexy outfit...”

"Sure, _if you don’t want to die._ " The urge to vomit was present in a matter of seconds, the way he tried to sound seductive even at that moment made you nauseous.

Those last words were the last straw. Of the disgust and anger you felt, a couple of tears began to fall on your face. But you didn’t want to see yourself vulnerable in front of him, you didn’t want to be weak. So you tried to resist any grip from the guards.

"Take her to my princess!" For what seemed to be hours, his hand was finally removed from your face. "And if she refuses, you know what to do."

“We met again in this unjust game… your chances of winning are almost none.” You recognized that voice instantly, it was about her. The girl of your dreams. “But if my voice is reaching you, there may yet be a possibility open to you…”

A headache that could be considered inhuman took control of you, attacking you in a ruthless way. It took the guards and even the supposed king by surprise. 

You fell on the floor, writhing in pain. The agony you felt at that moment was infinite, so much so that even with desperate screams you could not lessen it. 

Until you could hear a sweet, warm voice.

**"The time has finally come...**

**When you decide to reveal yourself.**

**Oh my, so many years of your life being a vulnerable puppet.**

**I’ve been waiting for this day to come, I must admit.**

**It’s about time you start valuing your own life.**

**These frightful adults don’t deserve your pity...**

**So, I offer you my power.**

**The one that you desired.**

**You’re one step away from freedom, the one you’ve always longed for.**

**Let’s go there together, my child.**

**I am thou, thou art I.**

**Allow me to forge a contract...”  
** ****

Your gaze was clouded by the suffering you were going through, but you still managed to stand up.

"I will not allow any more adults to tell me what to do, let alone a disgusting pig like you!" An unexpected wave of power dominated your body. Feeling like a mask had taken place on your face.

The need to pull it out was immense, you felt that if you didn’t, you wouldn’t be able to live the same way. With all your strength, you proceeded to rip it out. A heatwave became present as if you were burning with fire.

Drops of blood on the floor, but they weren’t yours. They were from your old self. Who lived in a pitiful way, but no longer.

"ATHENA, LET’S GO!" As if your heart came out of your chest, you screamed like you never did before. Your new partner, your Persona, was waiting for you to fight. 

Thanks to the screams of the guards, you discovered the name of the man who minutes ago was wanting to conquer you. 

"Kamoshida, the perfect name for a son of a bitch!" Athena responded to your words, using the attack of one of her elements: Mahama. Although you had managed to injure two of the guards. Kamoshida managed to escape with the escort of another.

The level of fury dominated all your senses, so you took it out on those shadows. That’s what Athena called them. Using the Makouha skill, leaving them weak was not very difficult.

It was undoubtedly an impeccable victory, varying between the powers that your Persona possessed. 

"I’m impressed, (Y/N). You are indeed a strong woman." Your partner praised you in a very sweet way after winning, and you wanted to answer. Until in the distance, you got to see who you were in the first place.

"Look, there she is!" A scream accompanied by a whimper was heard around the place. That voice was definitely from the blond-haired guy.

“Go with them, they’re good people.” The greek goddess spoke, making you feel safe to go after them. At that moment, you just happened to run.

“Guys, I’m so glad you’re okay!” You ended up in front of them, with a huge smile. The relief that let you see them was infinite.

“Wait, you too?” You didn’t get what he meant until you took a look at your appearance.

Your school uniform was completely gone and you had no idea where it was; but your new outfit caught your eye. It was a white dress, ending in the middle of your thighs. Your shoulders were a little bare, you never wore anything like that. Minus a corset, but you had to admit that it was too cute, being also light blue. And instead of those school shoes that made you uncomfortable, white boots with a few inches of platform took place.

"She also has a Persona..." A cat? What was a cat doing in a place like this?

“I have one too, that’s why he is reacting like this.” The boy with glasses exclaimed. Although he was in his school uniform.

“I don’t understand anything, but...” The blond one said. ”We weren’t going to escape and leave you alone in here.”

“Hey, blondie. We have no more time to talk, we must escape." You listened again to that kind of cat, as if he was tired of the boy.

"I told you my name is Ryuji!" You laughed at the situation, although it did not seem the right time.

“You wanna escape this place in one piece, right? Let’s go.” And that’s how they started running as if their life depended on it.

Until at one point, the boy named Ryuji stopped.

"Hold on a sec!" You looked at one of the cells, a guy in a uniform that looked like a volleyball was lying on the floor, with a pretty empty expression. "I feel like I’ve seen what this dude’s wearin' before."

“Dammit! I’m too flustered! I can’t remember anything right now!” He was very angry with himself for not being able to remember.

“Come on, let’s go! We have no time!" At that moment, you looked across at the guy who had glasses. Neither of us had any idea what to do.

“B-but, who are these guys?” You started to hear a couple of steps, like an undesirable presence.

“Beware, (Y/N).” Athena had spoken, and she made no mistake. In the distance what you knew as a shadow was approaching. It seemed ready to kill. 

"You should’ve listened to me...!" The black-haired guy instantly changed his outfit, showing off his Persona.

"Let’s fight." He said, sounding very confident of his abilities.

"Athena, you already know what to do!" You added while preparing to fight, you had no intention of losing.

"I’m glad you two stick to your guts" A Persona appeared over the cat. He also had one?

You decided not to question more things to start fighting. You took a couple of punches, but they weren’t enough to defeat you, not so fast.

Even though it was just your second battle, you got way better. Maybe it had a lot to do with the fact that you were not alone, but in a very good company.

Between you, you managed to bring down those two shadows, combining their powers achieved quite incredible things. 

"All right! Let’s get away before more show up." You agreed with the animal’s words, ready to go out of that place. You couldn’t stand it in there anymore.

"Hold on! We can’t just leave these guys here!" Ryuji repeated, he was pointing at the boy with both hands. You could feel his despair.

"Hey, we really have to go." With your head, you pointed to the bridge, since you had to go through there. "I don’t want one of those things to reappear."

"She does use her head, you should learn." The cat was already walking, it did not give rise to an argument. You guys really didn’t have any time. 

You looked at Ryuji with a somewhat insistent look, giving him to understand that he had to get out of there. "Please, come on!" 

That was enough to convince him, resulting in the four of you walking towards the supposed exit. You didn’t know where that sudden trust with the animal had come from, but just to get out of there, you decided to listen.

On the other hand, Athena dedicated herself to giving you words of encouragement, not allowing you to give up at all. No one’s ever cared about you like that.

"The entrance hall is right above here! The exit’s close... Keep it up!" After a few minutes of running and hiding, you ended up in front of a staircase. You didn’t want to admit it, but you were tired.

Climbing each of the steps was an ordeal, not just for you but for everyone else. But you shouldn’t stop at that pace, especially when you passed the place where you were kidnapped.

After passing the entrance hall, you ended up in a hallway that only had two doors and you certainly did not know exactly what the exit was.

"Finally! We are saved!" He ran to one of the gates, which despite a couple of attempts, he could not open. "... It’s not openin'!"

“Did you trick us, Morgana?” The guy with the glasses questioned the cat.

“Don’t jump to conclusions! Over here!” He replied quite cheerfully with a smile as he opened the door opposite Ryuji’s. You did nothing but follow him.

“Where are we supposed to get out from here!?” At first glance, there was no sign of a way out. But something had caught your attention and you didn’t hesitate to highlight it.

“Ugh, amateur…” Morgana said.

"There’s a vent." You added to the conversation and then pointed to it. "We’re going to use that, aren’t we?"

"That’s right! You’re a natural at this!" You saw how he took a little leap, which gave you a lot of tenderness. "It leads all the way outside."

And just like that, Ryuji threw himself up there. He ended up tearing down a couple of things in the library, causing a loud noise. However, it had made your work much easier.

“The enemy didn’t hear us, did they?”Consumed by what seemed to be anxiety, he asked something exalted. "Seriously, we’re finally gettin' out here!"

The following was how Morgana ended up scolding Ryuji for being a bit hasty, explaining to us later why he was not coming with you. While you questioned the motive, you didn’t want to waste any more time. 

Going back to the real world was something you could never describe. 

"Did we make it?" Ryuji asked.

**_"You have returned to the real world. Welcome back."_ **

"It seems so..." That was the first thing you thought to say. "We should go, we’re obviously running late."

“Shit, you’re right!” As you understood from the train station across the street, you were just a few steps away from Shujin. So you decided it was best to walk.

Despite being a short way, the silence remained present. No one knew what to say after such a strange situation. 

In a matter of minutes, the three of you ended up outside the school door. Where a man in a suit was waiting for you. It was obvious that you would not be able to escape punishment.

"We received a call from the police." Could he be the counselor? It was what you wondered, though he only deigned to look at Ryuji.

"Fuck, they saw us." You swallowed a little spit, it was your first time being late for class.

"It’s rare not to see you alone." He was clear with his words. "Where were you roaming around until this time."

“A… a castle?” The urge to give him a nudge was immense.

“So, you have no interest in giving an honest answer?”

"Sir, it’s my fault... I’m the new exchange student, (Y/N) (L/N)." It took you a while to raise your voice, but you had to be strong and clear to defend him. "This is my fourth day in Japan, so you can imagine I don’t know the city very well. I met them on the subway and they offered to help me, but I had a mishap. I fell down the stairs and lost consciousness for a while." 

"A doctor at the subway station helped us, so that’s why we didn’t ask the cops for help." The guy with the glasses added. Despite being a lie, it sounded very convincing.

"They accompanied me to buy water, they did everything they could to make me feel better." Little by little you approached the stairs, intending to enter the school. "If anyone is to blame, it’s me. Not them."

“It’s that so, Sakamoto?" The man was a person of few words.

"She’s not lying, so. We can go to class already?" From the way he had responded, you felt like hitting him with your bag. He had to be more respectful.

"What’s going on here?" That disgusting voice from long ago was present.

"Kamoshida?!" Ryuji said something exalted, he seemed ready to beat him up. And you realized that, so you decided to get close to him to avoid any problems. 

"Our new student had a problem, surprisingly Sakamoto helped her." 

"Oh, so she is... (L/N). I am right?" You noticed his falsehood too quickly, he knew quite well who you were. At least the Kamoshida of that palace. "And you are... Ren Amamiya, our new exchange student."

"Well, it’s getting late. You should get into class." The counselor spoke, concluding the conversation, as he was entering the establishment. 

"Miss Kawakami waited for you all morning, you should go with her. She’s waiting on the faculty office." You and Amamiya nodded at the same time, surprised that they were both in the same class. "And about you, Sakamoto, just go to class."

"Yeah, whatever." The way Ryuji disrespected him struck you a bit, as you were never able to do that. You couldn’t either. But you thought he had his reasons.

Thanks to Amamiya, you arrived safely at the faculty office. However, you two could feel how everyone was slowing down what they were doing. You even got to hear a couple of comments about it. They were talking about you two.

With some fear, you were the one who opened the door and there was your new teacher, you could feel her stress just by looking at her face.

"(L/N)-san, I thought you weren’t coming to class anymore!" She showed you a smile, though you were pretty sure it was courtesy. "And you... Being over half a day on your first day? Can you explain yourself?"

"It was my fault, I explained this to the counselor... While at the station I fell down the stairs and lost consciousness." You looked down because you couldn’t handle the embarrassment that made you lie to a school authority. "He didn’t leave me alone at any point, he was really helpful. Like Sakamoto-san."

"O-oh, I see. I’m glad you’re okay." You were surprised to hear her stutter, but she seemed to believe you. “But, don’t get involved with Sakamoto-kun, okay? He’s nothing but trouble… Anyway.”

“Yes, Ms. Kawakami?” You asked, trying to sound polite.

“Break’s almost over. Classes will end after fifth period today because of the subway accident.” Slowly, her stress became noticeable as she spoke. “I’ll have you two introduce yourself when class resumes, follow me.”

And so it was, you and Amamiya followed her closely until she stopped to say something.

“By the way, when you introduce yourself… Be serious about it even if you are lying to the class, okay? Do NOT say anything unnecessary.”That wasn’t directed at you and you knew it. You could only wonder why he was getting that kind of treatment. 

Before you knew it, you two ended up standing in front of your new class. And obviously, the whispers soon appeared. 

_"They were late together, do you think they’re dating?"_

_"The criminal with the foreign student, that’s interesting."_

_"She must also be a criminal then? They must be part of an international mafia."_

Those comments surprised you, they were really quick to create rumors about you. You didn’t expect to get that kind of treatment that fast.

“Settle down.” Kawakami tried to silence them all and emerged victorious in the attempt. “... Well, I’d like to introduce our new transfer students: Ren Amamiya and (Y/N) (L/N).”

Again, the whispers had taken place. 

"Today... (L/N)-san had an accident on the subway stairs and Amamiya-kun was the one who helped her. That’s why they were late." You could only agree to what she said. "All right, please say something to the class."

Your partner realized you didn’t want to introduce yourself first, so he took the big step. But when it was your turn, you tried to sound as nice as possible. That last thing didn’t have a good result, as the gossip didn’t take long to come back.

"Your seats will be... those two that are available next to the window." She pointed before approaching the blackboard. "(L/N), share your books with him today."

Your new seat was behind his and at some point, it didn’t surprise you at all. As soon as you sat in your chair, your desire to sleep on the desk was very intense.

“Everyone just changed classes, so make sure you use that time to get to know each other. Now then, let’s get class started.” Before you made eye contact with anyone, you chose to look out the window. “Who’s on duty today?” 

“Everyone… please rise.” 

You couldn’t pay attention to the class no matter how hard you tried, your mind was analyzing everything that had happened in that castle. You tried to understand what seemed to be incomprehensible. Thus, the fifth period passed quite slowly.

"(L/N)-san, how are you feeling?" Your new classmate asked, looking genuinely worried. "Is everything okay?"

"Oh, yes. Don’t worry, Amamiya-san." You took your bag off the floor, already standing. You hadn’t paid attention to him before, but the boy was quite tall. "But how are you?"

"Luckily, I’m fine." His voice in a way, made you feel calm. "Don’t mind if we get back together? After all, you may still be confused in town."

"In fact, I would appreciate it." You offered him one of your biggest smiles, as little as you knew him, he seemed to be a very good person. "We should get going."

You two were leaving the classroom, to get away with a somewhat undesirable surprise in the hallway. You started feeling dizzy, why were you looking at the castle again? 

"You’re watching this too, aren’t you?" he asked, in an attempt to whisper.

"Yes..." It wasn’t normal at all. So you had no idea what to do.

Until Sakamoto showed up, managing to distract you.

"I’ll be waiting on the rooftop." It was all he said, leaving you both with doubt.

“Why did you allow a student like him to transfer here? He already started associating with Sakamoto.” In front of you were Kamoshida and the Principal. It was pretty obvious that he was talking about your classmate, which you had next to you. 

"Hey, it would be better if we went where Sakamoto is." You said, waiting for his statement. Receiving a simple nod from him, you assumed he had accepted. So you two went up the stairs together, all the way to the top floor, you both assumed that was the roof. A fairly large sign said any entry was forbidden, but the door was open.

"... There you are." The boy was sitting on one of the chairs in the place, he looked rather carefree. "Sorry for callin' you both up here like this."

To be more comfortable, you decided to grab one of the seats in the place and then sit there.

"I bet Kawakami already told you stuff like "Don’t get involved with him", right?" As he was speaking, he placed one of his feet on the table.

"In fact, yes." You confessed without fear, as he seemed to be well aware of the situation. "She said you’re trouble." Amamiya added.

"I knew it! But..." He sounded somewhat disappointed to say that. "We’re pretty much in the same board. I heard you got a criminal record, everyone is talking about it" He was now looking at you. "I’ve heard from you too, you’re the new international exchange student." 

"They’re pretty fast here..." You added to the conversation, while resting your elbows on the table, watching them closely. No matter if they were "dangerous" students, in a way, you felt safe with them.

“What was all that that happened? You know, how we almost got killed at a castle… It wasn't a dream, right? You guys remember it too, yeah?”

"Yes, we do." You chose to take your eyes to the blue sky, thinking about what had happened was not pleasant at all.

"Well, just ‘cause we remember it doesn’t mean too much tho..." It took a short pause. "I mean, even if it was a dream, you saved me from Kamoshida." You didn’t know that part, but using a little logic, you assumed it happened when you were separated from them. 

"So yeah, thanks Ren." Did he call him by his first name? That surprised you a bit. "And (Y/N), I’m really glad that you’re ‘kay." Calling you by your first name also made you smile a bit. Finally someone had treated you in a more friendly way.

“But man, that Kamoshida we saw there… You guys prolly don’t know about it, but there are some rumors about him.” The mere fact of remembering him made you nauseous. “That asshole…”

“Don’t mention it…” You stood up, even with your eyes on the two.

“I wonder if we can go back to that castle again… Ugh, forget it! Must’ve all been a dream! It has to be!” He also stood up, although he sounded pretty upset. You didn’t know what to believe either. “Sorry to drag you two out here like this. That's all I had to say.” 

"It’s nothing, don’t worry." You gave him a pretty genuine smile, you understood a little bit how he felt.

"Y'know? We could be good friends. I feel like we’re gonna get along just fine as troublemakers!" He approached you, finding himself now very cheerful. "I mean, if you agree with that. I hear you were the perfect student." This time, his gaze was fixed on you.

"Yeah, I’m in." You let out a pretty smooth laugh, having friends was very important to you and you felt good around them.

"'I’m Ryuji Sakamoto', but just call me Ryuji. I’ll come talk if I see you around, don’t ignore me, all right?" You and Ren nodded, agreed with his words. "Well, seeya!"

As you and Ren agreed in the beginning, you went to the station together. He was really nice on the road and besides, he felt pretty comfortable with the fact that you were calling him by his first name. Both were quickly considered friends of the other. While you were waiting for the subway at the station, you decided to ask him why everyone was treating him that way.

"You can’t be serious..." You said with a lot of anger, the motive of his criminal record was more than unfair. 

"I know, even I think the same. But well, I’m also new to Tokyo." He let you show a little smile, you admired how he was facing things.

The ride on the subway remained entertaining, even though the two of you were crammed into the wagon. There were too many people.

"You also get off at Shibuya?" You asked a station before yours. 

"Yes, I have to do one more combination and I’m home." He smiled again, but you saw him too tired.

Minutes later, with you two already off the train, you felt much more relieved. 

"Well, this is where we split up." You mentioned something sad, being with him was quite entertaining.

"Yes, but we will meet again tomorrow." He seemed to battle with himself for a couple of seconds, until he managed to say the following. "Is it okay if I ask for your number? It’s just to check if you got home on time."

"Yes! No problem." Happy for his request, you gave him your phone.

"It’s better that I go, I don’t want to miss a train." Slowly, he started walking but in the same way, he didn’t stop watching you. "See ya, (Y/N)! Please let me know when you get home."

"The same goes to you, don’t forget! See you tomorrow, Ren!" 

Despite all the situations you experienced today, meeting your new friends was the best thing. You were amused by the fact that they were the kind of people your parents avoided. However, they were no longer with you to stop you from living your own life.

_"Thanks, Athena."_

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAH, OUR BOI AKECHI IT’S FINALLY HERE, I’M SO HAPPY. 😭💖  
> He was a gentleman, of course. (!!)
> 
> The same goes to Ren, he’s such an angel.
> 
> And Ryuji??? Best boi!!! Amarite?
> 
> Thanks for reading, luv ya. <3
> 
> See you next week! 💖


	3. Capitan Kidd

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, I’m sorry I didn’t update on Thursday! ): I have conjunctivitis and it’s really annoying. My eyes definitely hate me.
> 
> As always, in the weekend I’ll correct any mistakes. (!!!!)
> 
> I hope you enjoy the chapter, it’s time for Ryuji.
> 
> Warning: long chapter.
> 
> **FEEDBACK IS ALWAYS APPRECIATED. 💖 ******

The first thing you did when you got home was to tell your new friend that you’d already arrived safely home, you didn’t want him to worry at all.

**You**

**3:10 P.M**

Heeeey, I’m home! Let me know when you arrive.

It was really nice talking to you today, Ren.

**Ren Amamiya**

**3:45 P.M**

Great, I’m just getting home.

**You**

**3:47 P.M**

I was getting worried, I thought something happened to you.

Did you get home okay?

**Ren Amamiya**

**3:47 P.M**

Nothing to worry about, there was a delay due to the weekend accidents.

The wagon was full, it was tedious.

**You**

**3:48 P.M**

Oh, I see ):

**Ren Amamiya**

**3:48 P.M**

It was very nice for me to have talked to you today too, (Y/N).

I hope you have a good day.

**You**

**3:52 P.M**

I’m happy to know that. 

I hope so, Ren. See you tomorrow.

You didn’t really know how to feel about it, it had been a long time since you had interacted with someone like that. But he was kind of special.

Your Monday wasn’t so productive, so luckily you only had to read a couple of texts for the classes you had the next day, nothing complicated. Your grandmother was not there in the afternoon, which had taken you by surprise; but when she returned home, you felt very calm. 

Before dinner, you decided to take a shower, as your tiredness was crying out for you. After that, you and your grandmother ordered fast food. But something had left you thinking and it was that app that you had already deleted several times.

At about 10:00 at night, you decided it was time to go to bed. You needed a good rest and that you could only get by sleeping. Thing you were good at.

However, before falling into a deep sleep, you felt a little dizzy. Nothing like this had ever happened to you before.

The least you could imagine is that you were going to wake up in a place you didn’t want to go back to. 

"... About time you’ve come to." That voice, not again. "On your feet inmate."

After hearing her orders you quickly stood up to avoid trouble.

“Our master wishes to speak with you two. It’s for your own sake that you take his words to heart.” Who you remembered was Justine, spoke. Although, her words left you thinking a little.

"First off, let us celebrate our reunion." That’s when you understood even less, you didn’t know what he meant. But what you did notice was that the position of his table this time was different, as if he wasn’t just looking at you. "... Oh? You’ve both awakened your powers, and special ones at that." 

"Both?" You whispered, so far you thought you were the only person there. Until you could hear a certain familiar voice.

"Wait..." You managed to hear some hesitation in his words. "(Y/N)? Is that you?" 

"Amamiya? F-fuck. I mean, Ren?" No matter how hard you tried, you couldn't see him, the bars wouldn’t let you take your head off, so you had to settle for showing him your hand. "Yes, I’m (Y/N)!"

“Your rehabilitation can finally begin…" The fact that his voice was so deep in itself caused you some fear and in turn intrigues. But that didn’t take away the fact that you still didn’t understand what was going on.

"What are we doing here?" You questioned him, preventing your nerves from making you stutter. "Is it a dream? What does Amamiya-san have to do with this?"

"There is no need to understand it all for the time being." You understood less and less. What did Igor gain from being so mysterious? "You will be training the power of Persona, which you have awakened to."

"Athena, are you talking about her?" You asked again since you had no idea where she came from. 

"You’re right." You thought that was the first time Igor had answered one of your questions. "Personas are, in other words, a "mask". An armor of heart when confronting worldly matters." 

**_"I have high expectations for you two."_ **

At the time, neither of them knew what to say. But that seemed to be enough for Igor.

“You have no choice but to hone your strength.” Justine took place again in the conversation. “It’s not because we’re forcing you, but because this is your fate… Neglect it and you will die.”

“By the by... have you come to appreciate the Metaverse Navigator? Using it will allow you to come and go between reality and palaces.” Was he referring to the app that kept popping up on your phone?

"Palaces?" After a while, Ren spoke again. You considered his question very clever.

"... I bestowed it to you as a means to train you as a thief." At that moment, you decided to look at Justine as she seemed to be in charge of keeping an eye on you. Although her expression couldn’t tell you anything.

"The Metaverse Navigator is a gift from our master! You better take care in using it, inmate!" You could only feel sorry for Ren, since you couldn’t stand Caroline’s voice anymore.

However, your warden continued. "Devote yourself to your training so that you may become a fine thief."

"Since only the two of you have the ability to use the Metaverse Navigator, I must be disheartening." So only you and Ren had access to that app? "Should there be others who would prove beneficial to you, I will grant it to them as well."

**_“This is all for you to grow as the most excellent thieves...”_ **

"Hmph, it’s time. Go back and enjoy whatever rest you might have." Caroline said, seconds after the siren rang again.

All you wanted was answers. And that they couldn’t give them to you made things so much harder.

"Ren, if this isn’t a dream, talk to me tomorrow at school." You screamed before closing your eyes, as that means getting out of the velvet room. Still, you couldn’t hear any response from him.

As if only minutes had passed, your alarm every morning rang. The need to throw your phone out the window had come once again.

You did once more what would be your morning routine throughout your school life.

While you were sitting on the couch, with your coffee in your hand, you watched the weather channel carefully. It was going to rain in the morning and that was what mattered most to you. Just imagining the fact that your subway ride was going to be crowded, your desire to go to school became null and void.

"Ugh, moisty." That’s all you could say while you were finishing your coffee.

And just like that, you left your house again. Even though you didn’t like the humidity, walking in the rain was something that relaxed you too much. You really enjoyed it. 

To avoid being late, you had decided to leave your house earlier. You were foolish enough to think that fewer people would be on the street. Tokyo was a pretty active city.

"(L/N)-san?" Just a block away from your house, you heard someone say your name. And honestly, you had no idea who might be. So you hesitated a bit to turn around. 

"Yes?" Careful not to hit anyone with your umbrella, you turned your body to see the person talking to you. “Akechi-san, morning!"

"I didn’t expect to see you around!" He kept a considerable distance from you, but still, you weren’t uncomfortable. "I apologize if I scared you."

"I’m not going to lie to you, for a second I got a little scared." You contributed to the conversation, then added a slight laugh. "Are you going to the station?"

"Yes, in fact, I left home earlier to avoid any inconvenience." That said, he walked again and ended up next to you. "Yesterday I arrived just in time for class..." As a child, he grimaced quite sadly. You could tell he was trying to make you smile.

"Oh, that’s right. I’m so sorry, it was my fault!" You did a little bow, and without realizing it, you included your umbrella. Inevitably you ended up giving him a little blow. "Fuck- Sorry! I’m sorry." You bowed again, and the sequence was repeated again. 

Listening to his laugh was something you didn’t expect, as you had made several mistakes with him in a very short time. Still, it seemed not to bother him. 

"It wasn’t your fault, (L/N)-san." He mentioned with a smile. 

"I promise I won’t make the same mistake again today..." In a way, you couldn’t stand the sight of him to your face anymore. The shame was much greater. However, you wanted to keep talking.

"If I remember correctly, your first day of school was yesterday, wasn’t it?" For a second, you asked yourself when you had given him that information. But on the other hand, you didn’t really know what to say, it wasn’t the best first day of all. 

"Can I be honest?" You still couldn’t see his face, but from your reflexes, you could tell that he was still watching you closely.

"Of course, I asked you for something." Just by listening to him, you could say that he was too nice. “Maybe... not a good day for you?"

"Indeed." Your speaking volume was decreasing more and more, remembering the comments that had been made to you and Ren were really unnecessary. "I didn’t think in Japan it would be so... cruel?"

"Might they have talked about you?" In the distance, you could see the Shibuya crossing, which meant you were already near the station. "But I can’t deny it, there are very cruel people in this country."

"They did, but that’s not what bothers me..." With some courage, you managed to turn your face to see him again. When he realized that, he gave you a little smile. "Well, maybe it did bother me a little." You let out a big sigh, one you’ve been keeping for a while.

"Oh, I see." You didn’t want him to feel sorry for you, you hated causing that feeling in people. So you quickly thought up a new topic of conversation.

"It doesn’t matter anymore! Today is a new day, isn’t it?" Despite being a somewhat false smile, he managed to catch instantly that you no longer wanted to talk about it. "Do you live in the area, Akechi-san?"

"I do, I’m not far from here." He nodded, stopping because the traffic light had indicated it. "What about you, you live around here too?"

"Actually, yes. About a block from where we met?" You understood that where you lived was one of the most expensive areas in Shibuya, so you didn’t want to create an impression of a rich girl.

"That’s funny, I also live a block from where we met." It gave you some peace of mind, as you managed to dismiss the idea of making a bad impression on him. But on the other hand, you were surprised to hear his answer. "(L/N)-san, if it’s not much, may I know what your building is?"

"No, of course not! I still don’t remember the address, but it’s a pretty tall building!" You said something enthusiastically, but realizing that wasn’t helpful, you regretted it. "Let me find the address..."

"I think all buildings are tall, (L/N)-san." If your intuition wasn’t lying, he tried again to make you laugh and in a way, he didn’t fail in the attempt.

"Sakuragaokacho! 8-17!" A few days ago, you asked your grandmother the address for some school papers, so it didn’t take you long to find the message. "It’s a very nice building, but I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting a neighbor." 

"Well, you’re running into one right now." When he noticed that he could walk on, he did. "(L/N)-san?" He mentioned it when he realized you were standing still.

"Do you live in the same building as me?" You didn’t want to see yourself as dramatic, but such news left you somewhat surprised. But when you noticed he was a few steps ahead of you, you ran a little to catch him.

"Yes, but I must admit I had no idea I was going to have new neighbors." This time, it was he who stopped seeing you. But you understood as you were arriving in an area where there were too many people. "Anyway, it’s nice! Not to say anything, but our neighbors are quite old people."

"Well, I guess you’ll add my grandmother to that list! She’s a little old too." You didn’t stop laughing at his remark, but it was obvious that what he said wasn’t meant to hurt anyone. 

It was at that moment that you noticed that his cheeks had taken a pink tint as if a blush were involved. You wanted to assume he was embarrassed.

"My apologies! I didn’t mean to offend you." Arriving at the famous Shibuya crossing, you both had to stop as you couldn’t cross yet. "I hope I didn’t make a fool of myself."

All you did was laugh at his comments, it was very adorable and at the same time very funny that he reacted to something so insignificant. And what left you a little calm, is that he also ended up laughing.

"Too many apologies for today!" You tried to make a cross with your arms and as a result, you got a little wet. You forgot it was still raining. 

"I think that’s the most reasonable thing to do." He concluded, agreeing with your idea.

After that, your conversation with Akechi did not have relatively important themes, just a talk about how annoying the weather was in a place like Shibuya, how strange the doorman of the building was. And most importantly, how delicious the pizza was in town.

In a way, engaging in conversation with him was not very difficult. And also, silences between topics were not uncomfortable.

While you were on the platform waiting for the subway, you could see how a couple of girls started talking about him. Besides, they didn’t try hard to be discreet.

"Do you know them?" Instead, you thought you were discreet, since you had to ask him the question again.

"Oh, no. I don’t know them, but they seem to know me." At that moment, he graciously greeted them with his hand. That prince aura had taken place again. You didn’t want to make it too obvious, but the screams of those girls made you laugh so much. "I’m sorry, I have to deal with this every day." 

"Hey, what did we talk about a few minutes ago!" You showed him a grimace since he shouldn’t apologize for that kind of thing.

"My bad, my bad." He said, feeling somewhat sorry for not having fulfilled what you had agreed to earlier.

“Who are they? They don’t have the same uniform as you.” You didn’t wanted to sound nosy, but you were pretty curious.

"I ask myself the same question- Ah, look. Here comes the subway." He said as he looked in the direction of it. 

"Do you think it’s full?" It was a rather incredulous question, as you knew the answer very well.

"I’d be surprised if we got in..." Something concentrated was heard as if he was analyzing how to get in before the others. "(L/N)-san, get behind me." 

"Huh?" You didn’t know what to say. 

"People will most likely rush out and be... rude." When you came to understand what he was referring to, you just nodded and stood behind him. And he was definitely right.

Akechi was smart enough to tell you that, as he managed to be agile enough to get into the subway. And since you were behind him, they also let you in. Despite that, the wagon was about to explode from the number of people inside.

"I apologize if I’m bothering you too much, I didn’t know where to put my bag..." And in fact, you had it on your chest because you were hugging it with a lot of strength. You didn’t want it to fall off. 

"Don’t worry, be careful with my briefcase too. It’s near your head." He was in a somewhat similar situation and was somewhat uncomfortable. "But, (L/N)-san..." he mentioned, in almost a whisper.

"Yes? Did something happen? Is something bothering you?" You heard yourself more worried than usual, as your tone of voice that he used left you like this.

"You apologized." He let out a giggle, and it ended up being very contagious. 

The journey to the Aoyama-Itchome district was quite quick, but you knew it was thanks to Akechi’s company. In a way, you really enjoyed being with him. 

"Your station is next, don’t you forget." After a couple of stops, you two had gotten seats again and it was much more comfortable to chat like this.

"I know, I know. It won’t happen again." You left your eyes blank, smiling a bit. But you had to admit it was a little funny.

"I hope so." He added, giving his briefcase a little tap. Which you paid too much attention to.

"Akechi-san, did you change your briefcase?" Trying to remember, the one he used yesterday was a simpler, brown one. It looked rather vintage, but instead of the one he had now, it looked much more modern.

"Wow, I thought no one would notice that detail." His look took on a certain glow after he answered you, and that’s when you paid attention to the color of his eyes. They were a mixture of red and brown. Which you thought was very interesting. "But yes, I bought it after school."

"I like it, plus it has your initial. Nice touch." You confessed, it was cute.

That’s when you heard the announcement of the next station, which was yours. To be honest, you didn’t want to get out and go to school. You didn’t want to deal with those comments and rumors again, but unfortunately, it was your responsibility.

"Well, Akechi-san." As you placed your bag on one of your shoulders, you waved at your new neighbor. "See you soon, I hope you have a good day!"

"Goodbye, (L/N)-san. I hope you have a good day too." He waved back. "And... ignore those comments. You know who you are."

"I guess you’re right..." Standing up, you stepped to the subway door. And for the last time, you waved at him, saying goodbye to him.

Having received a comment like that kept you thinking a little, you definitely didn’t expect it. However, you decided to agree. 

But it was better to let it go, to start a new day in Shujin. Until your phone rang unexpectedly, someone had sent you a message.

**Ren Amamiya**

**8:00 A.M**

Good morning, (Y/N).

Are you at the Aoyama station?

**You**

**8:00 A.M**

Good morning, Ren. 

And yes, I just got off the subway.

**Ren Amamiya**

**8:00 A.M**

I’m outside the station, I’m a little early. 

**You**

**8:01 A.M**

Great! Could you wait for me? I don’t want to go to class alone.

**Ren Amamiya**

**8:01 A.M**

I sent you that message for the same reason. In a way... I don’t feel comfortable doing it.

**You**

**8:02 A.M**

Don’t worry, I’m already leaving the station.

I can see you, Ren. I’m coming.

You wanted to believe it was because of the rain, but the weather was pretty cool. But you couldn’t complain, it was nice. While you were finishing the stairs you took care of preparing your umbrella, because you didn’t want to get all wet to class. And that’s when you approached the boy who was waiting for you and, in turn, watching. 

"Goooood morning, Ren." You tried to sound as cheerful as possible because maybe he was feeling a little nervous. Technically, today was going to be his real first day of school.

"Morning." With a little smile, he waited for you to get to him to start walking.

"Honestly, I didn’t want to come to school today." It didn’t take you long to reveal how you felt about the whole new school situation. "But hey, you know. Responsibilities."

"Tell me about it..." He added while putting his bag on his shoulder. "Anyway, Ryuji had said that you were the perfect student, wasn’t it?"

"If you mean my grades, yes. An excellent GPA!" With a poor attempt at the voice of your new Principal, you tried to take it with humor. "But I hate to be called that."

"It must be difficult to be one, right?" After walking for a while, you were already a few steps from the entrance to the school.

"Not everything is as perfect as it seems." While talking about that topic made you somewhat melancholy, you couldn’t afford to feel that way. You were disappointing yourself.

**“Did you see what people were saying on that one site? It’s him… And look, he’s not alone.”**

You two knew pretty well who those whispers were referring to. The first thing you saw, was Ren’s expression. He was apologizing to you with his eyes. He didn’t deserve that.

"Come on, Ren. Don’t listen to them." You started climbing the stairs a little faster than him, to wait for him with a big smile. And without hesitation, he smiled at you.

Upon entering, comments were made present again. 

**"The delinquent and the exchange student arriving at the same time? Uh-oh..."**

**"Assault, blackmail, drugs... He’s done it all."**

**"I heard he carries around a knife..."**

You just wanted to stand in the middle of the hall and ask all those people why they were badmouthing your classmate. What did they gain by being so disrespectful? If he had done absolutely nothing to them.

"You can’t let them talk about you like that, Ren..." You said, being determined to go after that group of girls who were bad mouthing you two. "They say anything to create new rumors."

"And you don’t gain anything by messing with them, don’t waste your time." When he noticed that you were going to start walking in the direction of that group, he grabbed you from the bag. So you won’t get anywhere. "I’m serious, it’s not worth it."

"They’re treating you like you committed a murder, I don’t understand." You sighed, you were too angry to think straight.

"Let’s go to class, Ms. Kawakami could scold us again if we’re late." With his head he pointed to the stairs, hinting that it was better to leave all that behind. 

"Yeah, I know." As if you were dragging your feet, you headed to class. You and Ren had arrived a few minutes before class started, so the classroom wasn’t full yet.

Your class with Mr. Ushimaru was not very different from all the classes you had in your home country, it was a somewhat superb teacher and in turn, something violent. But when you answered one of his questions right, he began to treat you differently. Apparently, he liked that you were smart.

**"If she’s so smart, why does she hang out with the criminal..."**

**"What a waste of time to be friends with such a person."**

**"Friend? They came to school together today too, it’s obvious that she is his girlfriend..."**

You just decided to ignore those comments. And Ren seemed pretty proud of that, because he was right. It wasn’t worth wasting your time with people like that.

"Did you bring anything for lunch?" Your classmate just had to turn around to talk to you, which you considered very convenient. It would have been more tedious if he sat somewhere else, away from you.

"No, not really." You had put your head on your desk, as Professor Ishimaru was taking an oral lesson from some of your classmates who were not paying attention to his class. "But we have the cafeteria, right?"

"Yup, wanna go together?" He spoke softly not to attract attention, as your teacher started yelling at your classmates. 

"Yes, sir." You answered somewhat enthusiastically, as you were curious about what was to be eaten in the cafeteria. "Do you have any idea how long before this class ends?"

"About... 15 minutes and it’s lunchtime." He said.

"Great, because I’m starving." You settled better in your chair, as the screams heard in the classroom had ceased. 

"(L/N)-san, you’re the only one who hasn’t let me down today." You were a little shocked when he said that in front of the whole class, but you had to pay attention to what he was about to tell you anyway. "Tell me what the Devil’s Dictionary defined as the chief factor in the progress of the human race."

"Villains, sir?" Yesterday you took the opportunity to read the first chapter of the book of this subject, just in case. And as always, you did well. 

"Correct! "Malefactors" to be specific." After saying that, he stopped seeing you. So did you. 

"I hate this..." You laid your head on your desk, just to hear a chuckle from your friend.

"I think it’s funny. Now we’re all a disappointment to him." It was the last thing you heard, as the bells had rung. Making you understand it was time to eat. 

The lunch with Ren was quite entertaining, to avoid some annoying comments, both had decided to go up to the roof and eat there. It was very liberating, despite being cloudy. The wind breeze made everything more pleasant.

"The last thing I want is to ruin the mood, but we need to talk about this." When he started talking, you had some fries in your mouth. So you could only grimace, you could imagine what he meant.

"I am all ears." You laid your back on the wall, as you two were sitting on the floor. You had decided to stand there because if the rain returned, you would be under a roof.

"It wasn’t a dream." Those four words were more than enough for you, you knew what he was talking about. "But if you ask me, I have no idea what that place is."

"The Velvet Room?" You added.

"Did you know that too?" He looked a little surprised, he didn’t expect it. 

"I’ve been there before..." The atmosphere ended up changing, as it was obviously an issue involving the two of you. "The first time was a short time ago, in fact."

"On my side is exactly the same." He mentioned before sipping his water bottle. "I don’t want to rush it, but it’s pretty clear that it’s related to yesterday."

"That’s what I wanted to talk to you about... Sakamoto-san mentioned that you saved him from Kamoshida." You set your food aside so that you could give it the necessary attention that the matter required. "Did something important happen while I was away?"

"They just wanted to kill me and Ryuji, that’s all." You could tell he wanted to make you laugh, but he failed terribly in the attempt. And he recognized it. "Bad joke, I know."

"I thought so, but..." That’s when a couple of drops had started to fall. Ending like this in a drizzle. " You have a Persona too, don’t you, Ren?

"Arsène, that’s his name." You nodded to what he was saying. "While we were in that castle, he spoke to me a little. It was strange."

"So you can also talk to your Persona? That’s quite interesting." You decided to take a look at the sky, but you still didn’t stop talking. "Athena, that’s her name." When you mentioned that name, you felt a little pressure on your chest. 

"Oh, I remember that. You shouted her name." That made you blush a little, you felt a little embarrassed.

"It was involuntary, as if my heart had spoken..." You stretched out your hand in order to feel the rain, you thought it would be refreshing. "But tell me. Where did that cat come from?"

"You mean Morgana? We found him pretty close to where we found you." He paused again as he drank from his water again. "He said he saw you being dragged by one of the guards, but we didn’t get there that fast."

"That son of a bitch..." You were trying to avoid thinking about what Kamoshida made you live, but it seemed impossible. 

"Sorry I didn’t make it in time..." Ren noticed the anger in each of your words, he understood you perfectly. 

"No, Ren. It’s not your fault." You turned your face to show him a little smile. That unfair situation had left something good behind. "One way or another, I ended up meeting Athena and she helped me to escape from them.”

"I’m really glad about that... Ryuji didn’t know what to do. He was very scared." You ate another one of your potatoes again, as your hunger had returned. But your stomach turned when you heard that. "You know..."

"You also think Ryuji is a good boy, don’t you?" You taught him a big grin. "I don’t agree with what Kawakami has said, in fact."

"Neither do I." Your gaze was once again stuck in the sky, although with your reflexes you could notice that he had stolen a couple of your chips as soon as he finished talking.

"I saw you!" You turned on automatic, and since your water bottle was already empty, you decided it was useful enough to give him a little prank punch.

"Shit." His laughter took place all over the roof, which resulted in him covering his mouth. Spending your time with him was something that made you happy.

A few minutes before lunch was over, the two of you left the roof. You thought no one would see you and you were right, the vast majority of people were in the cafeteria or in the classrooms.

The next classes were tolerable as the morning passed. Because the later it was done, the less time you had to spend in school. 

"Ready to go home?" Ren said, placing his bag on your desk. 

"My favorite time of day has finally arrived!" You shook your fists as you stood up, and that unfortunately ended up drawing the attention of a couple of your peers. "I hate this."

"You’re not the only one." He muttered as he fitted his glasses.

When you left class 2-D, Ren had already told you that he wanted to go to the bathroom. But it got weird when you saw him standing in the middle of the hall. 

"Is everything okay?" You asked him something concerned, as he looked very attentive to something. 

That’s when you witnessed something you could have avoided.

"You must be lonely too. I feel bad for keeping your best friend at practice so often." It was nothing more or less than Kamoshida himself. "Oh and... be careful around that transfer student."

"I’m sure you don’t want to hear this, come on..." You didn’t know if what you were about to do was right, as you understood that people in Japan were completely different from physical contact. Still, you gave him a couple of taps on the back, telling him to start walking.

"No, wait. I want to hear it." He was direct, so you couldn’t contradict him. 

"He’s got a criminal record, after all. If something were to happen to you..." You rolled your eyes at his comment. How a teacher could talk about such a delicate subject with a student as if nothing had happened.

"... Thank you, please excuse me." Your classmate quickly retired from the conversation, which you found admirable. But anyway, you could see the discomfort on his face. 

However, you were surprised by the reaction Kamoshida had. He seemed upset, although... What teacher would react this way if a student could no longer talk to him? It was a very strange situation. 

After that, you waited for Ren to go to the bathroom, although he didn’t take too long. He had just washed his face. As you two were ready, you headed towards the entrance of the school to return home.

"Yo!" You were a little surprised because you didn’t know who was talking to you, plus he had taken you by surprise. So out of inertia, you stood behind Ren. But when you realized it was Ryuji, you came out of hiding.

"What’s up." Instead, the black-haired guy didn’t even move. 

"Hello, Sakamoto-san." You mentioned at the same time that you placed your hands in the pockets of your blazer.

"Hey, yesterday I told ya to call me Ryuji! It’s cool tho, don’t worry." He scratched his neck, looked a little embarrassed for having said that. But his expression changed quickly after that. "I wanna talk about that castle from yesterday."

“Yeah, sorry about that. I don’t want to bother you, that’s all.” You didn’t mean much more, since he looked pretty focused.

“I tried tellin’ myself it was just a dream... but I couldn’t do it.” You knew he was serious, his eyebrows gave him away so much. "I can’t act like nothing happened. It’s all connected to that bastard Kamoshida after all."

"At lunch we both said the same thing, it wasn’t a dream. It was something... real." Ren added to the conversation. 

"I wanna find out what’s up with that place, no matter what. And y'know, you guys are the only people I can rely on for this stuff." The expression on Ryuji’s face could tell you a lot about what he thought. The fact that he had no idea what that place was, intrigued him too much.

"So, you in?" In that instant, you could only make eye contact with Ren. While it was a few seconds, you two were able to understand each other completely. You both agreed.

“Yup, we’re in.” You showed your thumb to the boy in front of you, who automatically began to smile. "What’s next?" Ren added.

"Nice! Okay, glad we’re in this together." Ryuji’s smile was giant. "I think we should just try and retrace our steps from yesterday."

"In the meantime, you guys are walkin' to the station, right? Let’s go together." You two nodded as he was right. "Let me know if you notice any weird buildings on the way."

After that, you were walking around the Aoyama Itchome district, going back and forth. Sadly, you could not find anything particular that would attract your attention. Over the course of the day your grandmother ended up sending you a message, asking where you were. When you wrote to her that you had made new friends, she was really happy. That had made you smile.

"Ryuji, I don’t think we’ll get anywhere with this. We’ve been here at least three times, people are going to start suspecting us." You stood by and said that, but it didn’t seem like enough for your blond friend.

"C'mon, you gotta stick with me to the end!" With his insistent gaze, you made the same run again. 

"For real?" The way he said that phrase was very funny to both you and Ren. "Is it smaller than we think it is? What do you think?"

"Check your phone." Your friend was quite concise with his words again.

"I already did that. I didn’t see anything like it around here..." In that instant, you could tell how Ryuji had come up with something. "Huh? Phone... Hey, that reminds me- Didn’t you have a navigation app thingy on, back then?"

You were a little surprised by the logic the boy used, as you couldn’t think of it before. He seemed pretty smart.

"W-wait! Ren, check your phone... The Metaverse Navigator, remember?" You were pretty clumsy to get your phone out of your pocket, but having it in your hands you quickly started looking for the app you couldn’t get rid of. Its logo was somewhat disturbing. "You were right, Ryuji. You’re a genius!"

"Heck yeah! But... what are you guys talkin' about?" Ryuji didn’t seem to understand, but you still showed him your phone. And for a moment he looked a little confused. "What’s this eyeball-lookin' thing?"

"Cute logo, right?" Hearing Ren’s response, you left your eyes blank.

"Stop goofing around." You mentioned at the same time that you were opening the app and at that point a search history appeared.

“Kamoshida... Shujin Academy... Pervert... Castle... Beginning navigation.”

"There we go! Then we went in a certain direction and-" The boy looked too cheerful to be normal, but that joy did not last long.

"Wait... What the fuck is happening?!" You stopped speaking in Japanese because your scare was real. "Look at this!"

The eye that had the app logo was changing, but you were surprised that it showed up with blood. Your classmates didn’t understand a damn thing, and neither did you. 

You felt a somewhat strange sensation, as if a somewhat strong dizziness were involved, besides what you saw, you thought you were not the only one. 

When the three of you looked up, it was a great surprise. You had returned to the castle, to the castle of Kamoshida. And Ryuji, like the last time, ran to the entrance of it. It bothered you a little that he did not think about the consequences of his actions.

"We made it back... That means what happened yesterday was for real too..." He was absolutely right, it had not been a dream. "Those clothes! That happened last time too, huh?!"

"You’re right..." Your uniform completely disappeared and you didn’t notice that change at any point. You were wearing the outfit from last time, which was very comfortable.

"What’s with those outfits?" You heard Ryuji’s voice, but you decided to ignore his question. You didn’t have time to pry.

"You jelly?" You didn’t even look up, you just approached your friend to give him a punch for being joking.

"I ain’t jealous!" Hearing him stutter was unexpected, but you could tell he was actually a little jealous. "What’s goin' on here!? This makes no effin sense at all..."

"Hey! Stop making a commotion!" A somewhat familiar voice joined the conversation, being nothing more or less than Morgana.

As a rebuke, Morgana began to question why you had returned to the castle. And at Ryuji’s curiosity, he was able to get Morgana to explain where you were. 

"This castle is the school... But only to this castle’s ruler, I think you called him Kamoshida? It’s how his distorted heart views the school."

From your point of view, you gradually understood the whole situation. All you were witnessing was because of the enormous pride that consumed Kamoshida. But something took everyone by surprise: unstoppable screams of agony.

"What was that?!" Even Ren was a little surprised to hear that.

“It must be the slaves captive here.” You decided to pay attention to Morgana, as he seemed to know a lot more than the three of you.

"For real?!" The screams soon reappeared after Ryuji’s words. "Oh shit, it’s for real." 

"If we hadn’t escaped, we would have ended up just like them..." You tried to evade any thought related to that, but you couldn’t run away from the truth. 

"But we’re out now, don’t worry." Even though your friend had a mask on his face, that didn’t stop you from observing his expressions. He was relieved to have escaped.

"We saw other guys held captive here yesterday... I’m pretty sure they’re from our school." You couldn’t say much about that, since you didn’t get a chance to meet all your schoolmates.

“Most likely on Kamoshida’s orders. It’s nothing out of the ordinary; it’s like that every day here.” Morgana took place in the conversation again. “What’s more, you three escaped yesterday. He must have lost his temper quite a bit.”

“That son of a bitch!” The scream he let out through his mouth struck you a bit, but you could understand his pain and anger. It was an unacceptable situation. "This is bullshit!"

Your instinct didn’t fail when you saw the blond move, you couldn’t afford someone to find all of you. So without hesitation you grabbed his arm, kept him from doing anything stupid.

"Listen, I know pretty well you’re angry about all this but... a mistake could cost us our lives. So think before you act." Your eyes seemed insistent as you were talking, basically you were begging him to be more careful in the castle. "Please?"

"Well, yeah... sorry, you’re right." You noticed how a grimace took place on his face, he was sorry for his actions. "I’ll try to be more careful."

One way or another, the three of you had agreed to help Ryuji. It was obvious that he had good intentions, he wanted to help. Besides, he also wanted revenge on Kamoshida. 

Morgana seemed to have enough knowledge of the area, as if he had already searched the castle a couple of times. It was actually quite hilarious to hear his little arguments with your friend, who looked kind of desperate.

As battles with the shadows were added, you and Ren were noticeably increasing your abilities. In a matter of time, you managed to defend yourself quite well. Listening to Athena talk to you was what motivated you, what helped you move on.

Hours passed and you managed to investigate a small part of the castle. The cries of torture used to take you by surprise, everyone was trying to avoid the fact that people were suffering unjustly. 

But it all got worse when you managed to witness one of the many tortures. It was incredible how someone like Kamoshida who evidently mistreated them to his liking, went unpunished. How nasty do you have to be to treat your own students like that?

While Morgana was quite harsh with Ryuji, he managed to explain to them that they were not real people.

Between the three of you, you were quite surprised because the only app you could use in there was Metaverse Navigation. So it was pretty pointless to think that you would be able to take pictures. Still, you helped your blond friend memorize the faces of each of them. It was going to be quite useful information, as they were sure to be mistreated in the real world. 

"This is so messed up, I don’t understand anything..." It was a comment you were keeping a while ago, but you decided to say it as they were sneaking out to escape the place. "Why us?"

"I’d love to understand." Ren was a little agitated, you were running around for a very long time.

“The exit’s this way, let’s hurry!” That voice that had begun to be adorable to you took place again. The cat was about to lead them to where you all had entered.

To your bad luck, your worst nightmare reappeared. "... Your knaves again." Kamoshida said, looking superior. "To think you’d make the same mistake again, you’re hopeless."

"The school ain’t your castle!" We’ve memorized their faces real good, you’re goin' down!" Your friend was pretty frontal, which terrified you a bit. Since the guards of the supposed king, they were on alert.

"I think it’s true when they say "barking dogs seldom bite." How far the star runner if the track team has fallen." At that moment, you stopped understanding what that disgusting adult meant.

“What the hell are you gettin’ at?” You asked the same question.

“I speak of the “Track Traitor” who acted in violence, ending his teammates’ dreams.” The pain in Ryuji’s face became very evident, you thought Kamoshida took advantage of his weakness. “Oh, I can only imagine the pain of the others who were dragged under with your... selfish act.”

“Ryuji… what’s this son of a bitch talkin’ about?” With Ren you decided to get closer to him to protect him completely. "Violence?" Your black-haired friend added.

“What a surprise. So you’re accompanying him without knowing nothing at all?” You saw him coming towards you, so he got you to back off pretty good. “He betrayed his teammates and crushed their hopes, yet he still carries on carefree as ever…”

“That’s not true!” Ryuji could sense your fear of him, so in an impulse he took you by the wrist. He was convinced he wanted to protect you no matter what.

"What a tragedy... You truly trusted this fool, and he’s led right to your dead." Kamoshida began to talk as if nothing, just wanted to have fun and see blood. "Hurry and dispose of them. I can’t stand their stench." 

It wasn’t at all sudden, as your teammates knew they were going to have to fight. It hurt you too much to have to yell at Ryuji to stay away from you, more because in a way you couldn’t completely protect him. 

When you thought you had the upper hand, more enemies came forward. You were beaten by quantity and so, by power.

Thanks to a pretty violent stampede, you completely blacked out. Your body was already too weak, everyone used all their energy to defeat the shadows.

Even though the dizziness didn’t stop, you slowly opened your eyes. And a more than excruciating pain took place on your back, until you could realize that a guard had all his weight on you. 

The first thing you saw was Ryuji, in the worst possible way.

"That coach who got fired was hopeless too... He had not opposed me with a sound argument, I would’ve settled it with only breaking his star’s leg." That voice that was repulsive to you, you didn’t want to listen to him anymore. You just wanted to shut him up forever.

“What?” Ryuji sounded so surprised, you couldn’t stand it. The pressure of the guard on your back was increasing, as if he were exerting more force. 

"Do you need me to deal with your other leg too? The school will call it self-defense anyway!" Had Kamoshida hurt your friend? You couldn’t quite understand what he meant, but still, you couldn’t allow that.

"Dammit... I am gonna lose again?" He ended up on the floor, you could see his eyes filled with tears. It was more than painful to see him that way, so vulnerable. "Not only can I not run anymore... the track team is gone too ìcause of this asshole..." 

"Ryuji, don’t listen to him!" You screamed with all your strength and still heard something weak. 

"Once these three are dealt with, you’re next."

“Please, stand up for yourself. I know you can!” On the verge of crying out of despair, you yelled at your friend again. While it seemed pointless, words of encouragement always served. 

"Don’t let him win!" Suddenly you felt the voice of Ren, who was also lying on the floor. 

"You’re right! Everything that was important to me was taken by him... I’ll never get 'em back!" Slowly, you watched him stand up. Slowly his energy was returning. 

"Stay there and watch, look on as these hopeless scum die for nothing because they sided with trash like you." In the distance, you could hear the guards laughing at Kamoshida’s comments. You were carrying too much helplessness.

“No, that’s what you are. All you think about is using people… You’re the real scumbag, Kamoshida!” You noticed how Ryuji was approaching you, his words were getting stronger. 

"What are you doing? Silence him!" 

**"Stop lookin' down on me with that stupid smile on your face!"** Ryuji was challenging him and you were proud of that. Anger and resentment had been present in his words. 

But after that, something happened that no one expected. Out of nowhere your friend ended up on the floor writhing with pain, his despair could be felt miles away. At that moment you could only think of one thing, maybe he was like you and Ren.

You couldn’t handle the fact that you weren’t able to help him at a time like this; you just wanted it to be over. That everyone could escape from there.

It was at that moment that a mask appeared on Ryuji’s face, that your assumptions became real. 

At the threat of one of the guards, you could see how one was about to hurt Ren with his sword. And it was there that an indomitable cry came.

Ryuji had torn off his mask, thus provoking a kind of attack on the enemies in which he emerged victorious, as you no longer felt that annoying pressure on your back. Because of that, with your other three companions you ran with all your strength to where he was. You needed to be together at all times to be more powerful.

That’s when you met Captain Kidd, his Persona, who was evidently very powerful. The battle with the shadows of the guards was intense, with everyone receiving much damage. 

But still, with one last attack from Ren you managed to finish them off. 

The confusion on Kamoshida’s face was evident, followed after many insults to his guards, he had called them useless. You thought that was the perfect time to escape, as you believed that no one could fight another battle. 

The drop that broke the glass was when a girl approached the "King". In fact it was quite familiar to you, until Ryuji called out her name. That’s when you remembered who she was, a classmate. Not knowing exactly what this was all about, you turned to Morgana; who explained to them that it was not the real Takamaki.

Beyond that; you were already able to escape from there. But your friend, who had the mask of a skeleton, refused. He was determined to fight Kamoshida. With a little insistence from you and Ren, he understood that they should leave. And so it was, the four of you managed to escape from where you had come; you did it as quietly as possible.

"Anyways... I don’t remember changing into this!" Thanks to that comment, you took a look at her new outfit. 

"You look pretty good, Ryuji. It suits you very well." You were pretty honest with the compliment, and even though everyone had masks on their faces, you could bet he blushed a little. 

“You look like a thug." You rolled your eyes at Ren’s comment.

“What the hell?! I-It’s much better than your magician-lookin’ one!” You wanted to avoid a big laugh, although it was very impossible.

With both hands on your knees, you were taking a well-deserved rest. You made a lot of today and escaping was not at all easy.

But from one second to the next, everyone heard a couple of screams from the guards. They were looking for each of you.

"Wait, we’re in deep shit!" Ryuji sounded terrified again.

"I said to be quiet" The cat added.

"We might’ve gotten away here, but we’re still screwed with Kamoshida at the real school." He had a good point, you understood why he was feeling that way.

“Relax. The Kamoshida in reality can’t possibly know about what happens here. A shadow is the true self that it’s suppressed- a side of one’s personality they don’t want to see.” Morgana explained in a somewhat slow way, so we could understand what he meant.

"So basically, we’re okay. Isn’t that right, Morgana?" you asked, fully understanding. 

"There you have it." Morgana concluded. 

When you saw the time on your phone, you realized the time you had spent there. Everyone had to go home.

When it was mentioned, the boys agreed, except for Morgana. Between the three of you, you were listening to his tantrum.

"Especially you! You’re going to up and leave, even though you’re already part of my master plan?" He watched Ren with much frustration, but you couldn’t deny that he caused you too much tenderness as his ears moved.

“I never promised” The boy in the black suit responded. 

"See, I wasn’t lyin'." Ryuji added, too, already seemed to be tired of the cat’s tantrums.

"Is it because I’m not human? Because I look like a cat? Is that why you’re making a fool of me!?" You laughed again at his little show, it was a pretty funny being. 

"We’re busy." Your friend bent over to give him a couple of head strokes, so you decided to do the same. "Thanks for everything, cat. You’ve got some guts, bein' a cat and all! See you around!"

"We’re really thankful, Morgana-chan!" In concluding with the above, you stood up quickly. And without further delay, with your friends you ran away from there. Thus returning to the real world. 

"You have returned to the real world. Welcome back."

“... Thank god we’re back.” They all showed up in an alley in front of the school, you were a little curious you never paid any attention to it. "I dragged you two around a lot, huh? Sorry guys."

Your breathing wasn’t the best and least of all the tiredness you had on you, but you had to stay on your feet. You were far from home. 

"Ugh, I’m dead tired... How you guys holdin' up?" Your blond friend ended up laying his back on the wall, you could see drops of sweat fall down his face. 

"I might die right now." You confessed, your physical condition was not the best. "And I need a nap." Ren exclaimed.

“Maaan, me too. I’m gonna sleep like a rock when I get home. But damn, if what we saw was for real, this is gonna get good!” Ryuji’s mood was unique, he was one of those who was contagious. His smile was very nice. “I totally remember the faces of the guys Kamoshida was treatin’ like slaves.”

“That’s right, sir.” You posed like a soldier, making them both laugh.

“Once we make ‘em fess up to any physical abuse, Kamoshida will be done. So... wanna help me look for those guys or any witnesses?” He asked you two, in his eyes you could see he was serious.

"Sure, I’ll help." The tallest remarked, while stretching his arms. "Yeah, me too!" You added, you were motivated to help. 

"Now that’s what I’m takin' about!" He reacted again in a very energetic way, you wondered where he got all that from. "And, Ren... If you’re thinkin' of layin' low 'cause you got a record, I don’t think that’ll help... Everyone already knows. They totally got you pegged as a criminal."

"How’d that happen?" Was the first thing Ren could say.

“Kamoshida, isn’t it?” With some hesitation, you mentioned in a low voice. "I heard him talking to one of our classmates about Ren, he was just saying it."

"That son of a bitch! I can’t believe it... Well, I do actually, he’s an asshole." He rolled his eyes, as if he knew many things about such a teacher. "It doesn’t matter if it’s a student or a club; that asshole just wrecks things he doesn’t agree with... Just like he did with me!"

That confession left you and Ren somewhat surprised, as the two new students at Shujin had no idea what had happened between them; but with what you could see in the castle, Kamoshida was no saint. 

"No one’ll take anything I say seriously. Still, those rumors about gettin' psychical might be real." It made you a little sad to hear him say that, you and your friend were gonna change that. “And after seein’ kamoshida distorted-heart thing in person, there’s no way I can just sit back!”

“You’re right, we can’t. Neither of us. So you’re not alone in this, Ryuji.” You tried to raise the mood of the conversation, it all sounded kind of sad. “We have to stick together till the end, right?”You gave him a pretty big smile, hoping they’d be happy too.

“I’m counting on you! Don’t worry, I’m hyped about this too.” Ryuji certainly gave you back the smile, you knew he couldn’t let you down. 

"We can tell." Trying to be funny, you said that remark in a rather rude way. "Yeah we can, man." Ren without hesitation, imitated you.

"Oh and, there are rumors about you too, (Y/N)." The blond added, as if he was afraid to reveal that to you.

“About how me and Ren are dating? Or also about how we’re both part of an international mafia?” You put your index finger and thumb on your forehead, trying to simulate discomfort.

"So you know?" Your friend’s eyes got bigger and bigger, you were trying so hard not to laugh. 

"We do, they’re pretty obvious when they talk about us. Teachers don’t seem to care." You commented while you were putting your bag over your shoulder.

"I’ve already talked to her, it’s best we don’t worry about that. We know what the truth is." Your friend, who had fitted his glasses, was standing next to you as he spoke. 

"Yeah, we’re dating." Your efforts to keep a relatively serious face was a bit difficult, but you thought you did your best. And while you were doing that, you laid your head on Ren’s arm.

“And we’re part of an international mafia.” He played along with you, placing one of his arms around your shoulders. He didn’t care if anyone saw you two like that.

"W-wait? For real?!" As if the discomfort had flooded Ryuji, he took a few steps back. 

"We’re kidding." Just letting that laugh out, your friend came back to you. 

"I hate you." Apparently your laughter was contagious, as he also ended up laughing. Until a noise from his stomach became present. "Oh... Right. I haven’t eat anything since lunch."

"Shoot, now that you mention it... I’m hungry." You confessed, rubbing your belly with your right hand. 

"It be weird splittin' off now, so why don’t we grab a bite somewhere?" Since his bag was lying on the floor, he went to pick it up.

“Please, I’m starving.” At that time, you noticed that you were still being hugged by Ren; so you slowly parted ways with him, smiling.

"Just follow me! I mean, I totally gotta hear about your pasts" After that, Ryuji led the way. 

Already in the subway, the three of you could not get any seats. Therefore, the trip was quite uncomfortable, but certain comments out of context made by Ryuji improved the situation completely. 

Getting off at Shibuya Station, your curiosity grew enormously. Despite living in the area, you still didn’t know much; but now that you had friends, that could change.

The shop was full and for that same reason you had to wait a bit to enter. Already inside, Ryuji highly recommended the dish of the day.

At your friend’s curiosity, you once again heard the story and the reason for Ren’s criminal record. Again, you couldn’t believe how something like this had happened, it was unfair.

That left a sour atmosphere, as the fury was quite noticeable. But with a couple of jokes everything became lighter.

"And what about you, (Y/N)? Whatcha doin’ in Japan?" Ryuji asked, still having a lot of noodles in your mouth.

"Well, Ren came clean with us so... why not." You were ready to talk, so you left your chopsticks next to your food. 

"I was actually about to mention that you hadn’t told me about you yesterday." Your friend who was not far from you added.

"Oh, were you together yesterday? So you’re dating!" It was again very funny that he spoke with his mouth full again, he seemed very hungry.

"No, Ryuji! We came back from class together, we both took the Ginza Line." You shook your head, you laughed a lot when you were with them.

"Me too tho! We could go home together!" He looked at the two of you with his thumbs up.

"Sounds like a great idea." You heard Ren’s voice again, which kept surprising you for being so deep. "But, (Y/N). Keep going.”

"Well... it’s my first time in Japan. I’ve never wanted to come here, I actually refused." You tried to speak softly when you said that because you didn’t want to offend anyone. "My grandmother, she is from Japan. In fact she was born and raised in Shibuya." You decided to take a little sip of your soda. 

"So you’re Japanese? But you don’t look like us." That remark had not offended you at all, as you knew very well; but you still saw how Ryuji received a slight nudge. "Sowwy-"

"I know, but my grandmother is the only Japanese in the family." You were trying to extend the conversation as much as possible, because you were a little scared of his possible reactions. "But you might want to know why I’m here."

"Yup, we’re waiting." They both said in unison.

"Long story short, my parents... more like my mother, controlled my whole life. Since I was a kid it was always like that. There’s a lot more, but I’m uncomfortable talking about it. Also, I don’t want to be seen differently for that reason." You tried to smile, because remembering those things wasn’t your favorite activity. 

"Oh, shit. I’m sorry..." The faces of remorse were instant and it was the last thing you wanted. "Yeah, we didn’t know it was a delicate subject."

“Don’t! It’s the last thing I want! Okay, now I’m thousands of miles away from them." You made a cross with your arms, the atmosphere was a little uncomfortable again. "And besides, I won’t see them for long, so don’t worry!"

"W-well... You’re right! Now you have two new friends." In a somewhat unexpected way, you felt as Ryuji pulled you to give you a hug. Including Ren. You were a human sandwich. "And I apologize, but I’m too clingy."

"Don’t worry." You hesitated the first few seconds of the hug, but you still gave it back.

"It’s funny, I haven’t felt that way in a long time." You were squeezing him a little bit, and he seemed happy about it. "I guess you guys are special."

"You are special too, Ryuji." Ren quickly said.

After that, it didn’t take them long to finish their dishes. The food had been delicious, so much so that Ryuji promised to take them back in the future. Still at the door of the shop, everyone started to say goodbye. 

"You have to come home together? It’s not fair." You pouted, but your two friends still had a long time on the subway. 

"You jelly?" As he tilted his head slightly, Ren asked.

"I am! You only have to walk a few minutes to get home!" In that he was right, you were too lucky to live in the city.

"I guess you’re right..." You had no choice but to accept what your friend was telling you.

"Wait, guys. We have to take a picture!" For a moment, you stared at him confused, why would he want that?

"A picture?" Your friend stole the words out of your mouth.

"Yes, to celebrate today. Because we will put an end to Kamoshida!" You saw him quite excited, he was throwing fists into the air.

"Ryuji, don’t speak so loud." You didn’t mean to be rude, but you couldn’t give yourself away to the public.

"Shit, sorry!" He scratched his neck, even though he hadn’t noticed the little mistake.

You decided to offer your phone to capture the moment since you had it on hand. With Ren offering to take the picture, you stood in the middle and Ryuji at the other end. You three had wide smiles on your faces and you didn’t hesitate to make the famous "peace sign". After that photo, they decided to take a couple more as Ryuji began to make funny gestures. 

"Hey, guys. Hand me your number and your Chat ID." Ryuji ran his arm over Ren’s shoulder, taking advantage of the short distance to mess up your hair.

“Oh, yes. Of course.” You didn’t hesitate to give him your phone so he could write down his number. 

Even though you met them a short time ago, you certainly felt at home. You couldn’t describe it, it was so nice. 

As they were heading to the station, you were just waving at them. Missing their presence already.

While it was quite pleasant to give a small tour of the area, since you were getting to know better and better what was the big city of Shibuya, you felt very lonely.

Passing one of the many entrances of the subway you managed to capture a certain boy, with that characteristic aura of prince, a few meters away. It was about your new neighbor. At first you hesitated to approach him, but then you thought he had done the same in the morning. So, with some fear you approached him.

"Akechi-san?" He was on his phone, quite focused. You hadn’t noticed the fact that he was wearing gloves. 

"Yes? - Oh, it’s you (L/N)-san." You didn’t expect him to respond with a little smile, because you kind of thought you were bothering him. "Isn’t it too late for you to be in school uniform?"

"I can say the same, can’t I?" You tilted your head a bit, looking at his uniform, which you thought was very elegant. His reaction was a simple laugh.

"Well, you’re right, (L/N)-san." Before you could even mention it, he automatically kept his phone in one of his pockets. You were sure he didn’t want to look disrespectful. "Still, you didn’t answer my question."

"I left school late today, it was actually a good day. With some friends we went to eat ramen." You didn’t know if talking about it was in his interest, but it was something that made you so happy that you couldn’t keep it. 

"Was it? I’m really glad about that." Now with a slightly bigger smile, he nodded. 

"But you didn’t answer my question either." While you were quite observant in that regard, you wanted to know how his day had been.

"I had a pretty long day at work." You managed to hear a little of that tiredness in his voice, if going to class was already complicated, attending a job after that was even worse. "I’m actually waiting for a co-worker to hand me some papers so I can finally go home."

"You work? That’s great!" You felt a lot of awe for him. "What do you do?"

"That’s right. I work as a detective, although I’m still a rookie." You didn’t mean to be too obvious, but that revelation surprised you a little. 

"For real?" It was quite interesting, you had never met a detective before. You thought they were something you only saw in the movies. "That’s amazing, Akechi-san!"

"It’s a good job, but as a student it can get a little complicated." Again the tiredness in his voice became present, it was evident that he needed a good rest.

"I get the idea, you’ve been working for a long time?" You didn’t want to overdo the questions, but you thought it was a normal one. 

"Not much, (L/N)-san." Because of his expression, you could see that he wanted to continue to talk to you about it, but a ringtone took place in the conversation. "Excuse me, give me a second. I have to take this call."

"Yes, no problem." You showed him your thumb and out of inertia you took a few steps in reverse. Still, his call did not last more than 30 seconds.

"Well, my co-worker can’t come here because of a mishap." Instead, you would have been very irritated. You hated people making you wait, but he seemed to take it pretty well.

"Oh, shoot. That’s sucks." You didn’t know what else to say.

"It does, it does..." Again he kept his phone in his pocket. "On the other hand." You heard him and his curiosity soon returned.

“Yes?” You tilted your head slightly. 

"Can I assume you’re going home, right?" You nodded, since he wasn’t wrong.

"You are right. But when I saw you standing I did not hesitate to come and greet you, I hope you did not mind." While you smiled a little cautiously, the way Akechi was looking at you said otherwise.

"No! It doesn’t! Don’t worry about it." He shook his hands, and in a way, you watched his hair move according to his reactions. It was adorable. "You don’t mind us getting back together?"

"Our first activity as neighbors." It didn’t take you long to joke, but you really liked the idea of not coming home alone in the dark. "Sounds good to me."

"I hadn’t thought of it that way, but yes. It’s the first time I’ve interacted with a neighbor for more than 3 minutes." That said, you both began to walk. It was a quiet rhythm, but in turn, both were dominated by tiredness.

"How long have you lived there?" That was a typical question, but you thought I was good for that kind of conversation.

"About 6 months, not much. But I’ve fallen in love with my place, despite being small, it’s cozy." Akechi replied, you could see that he was fond of his apartment. "Neighbors are... standard. They don’t bother, but they let you know of their existence."

"Well, I’m sorry in advance... but my grandmother loves to talk." With a little laugh, you confessed to something that was really true. "It bothers me sometimes, but I promise you she’s a good woman."

"If she’s as nice as talking to you, I don’t think it’s an inconvenience, (L/N)-san." He turned his face to show you a prince-like smile, as if necessary after saying that. 

Due to the weariness of the two of you, the conversation soon came to an end. You couldn’t blame him either, it was obvious that an after-school job was going to have him completely exhausted. And for your part, the battles in the palace of Kamoshida had left you without any stamina; with a good rest you would be fine. 

Within minutes, you made it to your building. It was indeed very satisfying to see the number of people shrinking, as you moved further and further away from the station. It was a pretty quiet area.

"I’m afraid this is where we split up, (L/N)-san." You heard after you pressed the elevator button.

"Huh? You use the stairs, right?" He nodded in response, but in a way, you admired him doing it. He looked exhausted.

"I live on the second floor, so it’s nothing." He concluded, just as the elevator doors opened. It was the sign to say goodbye. 

With a small bow, including a smile, you said goodbye to Akechi. While you hadn’t been together very long, it was nice to enjoy his company.

"Good night, (L/N)-san. See you tomorrow." His voice was soft again.

"I hope so, Akechi-san! I hope you can rest well!" Taking a few steps, you were already inside the elevator. It didn’t take you long to push the button on your floor, and that’s how the door closed. 

When you were home, your grandmother had waited for you with the food made. No more than a fried rice with a little egg, enough to be full.

After a little debriefing of who you were with today, you showed her the pictures you took with your friends today. She thought they looked very handsome. 

But that’s when you noticed you had a couple of new messages, so you decided to see them.

**I Don’t Know  
**

**Ryuji**

**7:39 P.M**

If ya have a name, say it

Man, I’m exhausted

**Ren Amamiya**

**7:43 P.M**

I can’t think of anything yet, but I see you can’t either.

(Y/N) you home yet?

**You**

**8:45 P.M**

Guys, I just grabbed my phone.

I’m home, I’ve had dinner and everything.

I’m dead tired.

**Ryuji**

**8:48 P.M**

I was getting woooorrried!!! 

Hey, (Y/N)!! Send the photos  
 **  
You**

**8:49 P.M**

Shoot, yes!

Seconds after sending the photos to the boys, Ryuji edited a photo where the three were laughing and sent it. You thought it was the best picture. 

Wanting to end your day already, you headed to your bathroom to take a good shower. You needed one urgently. After that, being already in bed with your pajamas, you decided to check your phone one more time. But before you could do anything, the dream began to invade you again. Laying your head on your pillow wasn’t such a good idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you don’t mind Akechi not showing up so often yet, I’m trying to respect the timeline in the game. Anyway, don’t forget: this is a slow burn. ;;;  
> But well, all my homies hate Kamoshida. Amarite?  
> I hope you have a good day, thank you so much for reading till here!  
> THIS IS FOR YOU, ANON! IM sorry, I deleted the chapter as soon I saw you comment. I panicked, I’m not joking. ;;;  
> I tried to a bunch of spell checkers and everything was kinda ok??? Idk, I may cry if I’m being honest. 😭😭😭  
> I’m really thankful for your comment, for real. I’m so sorry I deleted it with the chapther. 😭😭😭  
> Luv ya.💖


	4. Strawberry Parfait

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone!!! i deleted the whole chapter because it had a lot of mistakes ;;; i’ll never use reverso again 😭😭😭  
> but you should know, i’m not that fluent in english)): so im really trying my best for you guys ):  
> if you notice any mistakes, please let me know!  
> i hope you enjoy this 💖

You didn’t want to admit it, but waking up in that place was already becoming an habit for you, since you weren’t as terrified as you were at first. Before Caroline started yelling at you, you decided to stand up. "Welcome to the Velvet Room." His deep voice came through, which caused your body to be dominated by chills. "I thought about resuming our previous conversation tonight. That is why I have summoned you."

You remained silent, as you gradually understood that it was useless to talk to him when he did not ask you. 

"What are your thoughts? Are you becoming accustomed to this place?" It was a simple question, but its background was the opposite.

"I wish I could understand why I’m here in the first place, but yes. I’m getting along." You put one of your hands on one of the bars and tried to take a look around, it looked like you were the only one in there.

"Ah, glad to hear it. It seems you have nerves of steel." His words left you too curious, as you did not believe what he said. You would not see yourself that way. "The goal of your rehabilitation is to thwart the fated ruin. however, such a feat cannot be done by you alone."

"But what about Amamiya-san?" You didn’t understand why he wasn’t there, you thought all your visits to that place were going to be accompanied by him.

“Today, you two entered a partnership with someone who awoke to the same power, did you not?” As expected, your comment was completely ignored, yet he was not wrong in what he was saying.

"Well, yes. If you mean Ryuji." You were clear and concise, your friend had awakened his Persona too.

“Involving yourself with others is an important foundation for your recovery, you’ve done well. That said, I am not advising the formation of superficial relationships.” Again, you failed to understand when he was talking about your recovery; but you decided to keep quiet. “It must not be of frivolity, but a ring of those who would, by morals or faith, lend you their strength.” 

You wanted and tried to understand, but it seemed to be pointless. 

“In other words, they are bonds with those who have been robbed of their places to belong.” Igor said. “The expansion of said ring will, in return, help you mature as well.”

“Personas are the strength of heart… The stronger the bond that surrounds you, the more power your Persona will gain.” It was there when Justine took place in the conversation. You were able to understand a little more thanks to her. 

"There are countless people in the city who have talents that a weakling like you doesn’t." Caroline hit your cell pretty hard with her cane, which scared you a lot. For a second you thought she wanted to hurt you. “You better rack that noggin of yours and get them on your side. We’ll change that into power.”

“Indeed, you should be prepared to use even myself, or your ambition will not come to fruition.” The owner of the place had his eye on you, which made you feel very intimidated. His eyes made a bit of an impression.“We have a deal then.”

In a poor attempt to decipher what his words and look meant, you came to the conclusion that Igor had too many expectations of you. 

"Well, you will understand it all in due time... Continue devoting yourself to your rehabilitation." With a somewhat sinister smile, he broke the eye contact you had. And for the same reason, it didn’t take you long to hear a certain unbearable voice.

"Now, this conversation is over! Get lost, Inmate!" You did as you were told, walking towards your bed to lie down immediately.

As soon as you woke up, you had a couple of messages from Ren. He was asking you if you didn’t mind going to class with him again, and without hesitation you accepted it. Both had agreed to meet at the entrance of the Ginza Line.

Standing up, you quickly put your gym uniform in your bag. Apparently, your school was going to have a volleyball rally and in a way, you kinda hated that. You were pretty bad at every sport in the world. 

After placing your coffee in a reusable cup, you left your house in the direction of the elevator. When you were already inside, you looked at yourself in the mirror and before you could do anything, the elevator indicated to you that you had already reached the ground floor. 

Finally being outside, you headed to the train station. While you weren’t far away, your body wasn’t helping to be quick. 

But on the other hand, the weather channel had indicated that it wouldn’t rain, so you felt a little relaxed. You weren’t going to feel that annoying sense of humidity.

In a matter of minutes, you had already arrived at your destination. Ren was there, with his phone in hand. You wanted to give him a little surprise, so you tried to sneak upon him.

"You’re not gonna scare me, (Y/N)." It didn’t take him long to say, his reflexes were very good.

"You ruined my surprise." You tried to sound disappointed, but you ended up laughing at the look on his face. He was trying to be serious.

"Sorry, but I saw you a few minutes ago. I knew you were coming, it was only a matter of time." He started walking and you didn’t take long to follow him. 

"Where did you see me? You would have told me!" You mentioned at the same time that you were using the stairs of the station, both were going to the platform.

"I had to do some shopping for my breakfast, I couldn’t eat anything. I got up pretty late." He added, tapping his bag a little to indicate that his food was in there. "But I can see you’re late for breakfast too."

"Oh, no. I decided to take my coffee on the way, even though I’m a little hungry." You confessed, sipping your drink a little. It was still hot, which you really liked.

"Well, I have a couple things in my bag, I can give you something." He taught you a sweet smile, you couldn’t say no to your friend, so you nodded. "Also, Ryuji asked me to buy him something because he woke up late."

It was at that moment when you remembered something extremely important, yesterday you didn’t have the opportunity to hug Ren. For that reason you tried to take a little courage, you were not the best to demonstrate your feelings to your friends. 

Thanks to that you touched his shoulder with some shame. And when he turned to see you, you were already with open arms ready to embrace him. At first, Ren didn’t understand why you were like this, but he didn’t hesitate to open his arms too, giving you the opportunity to squeeze him with all your might.

"You know? I was going to complain because you only hugged Ryuji." While you didn’t last too long like that, it was one of the best hugs of your life. "I thought you had a preference with him."

"Hey, no! That’s why I’m giving you a hug now.” You had a huge smile on your face. "It’s my way of thanking you for... everything."

"I’m the one to thank." He also had a big smile, it felt good to be adored by someone who wasn’t your grandmother. "But come on, it’s getting late."

You could only nod to his words, as you couldn’t risk being late for class. So in a matter of time, both paid for your ticket. The train didn’t take long to arrive; but it was very difficult to get in. It was a surprise for you and Ren to even be on the train, you two were really grateful.

The wagon was very full, and thanks to that you couldn’t do much more than think. Not meeting Akechi on the platform made you curious, as you both used the same line.

Moments later at one of the stops, when people came up again, you and your friend were pushed too hard. And that got Ren’s glasses on the floor.

"Fuck..." You heard your friend say. "My glasses."

"Let me, I’m much smaller than you." You mentioned while barely bending over. It was complicated, as you could only see feet and a pair of bags. But the moment you saw something shine, you knew it was what you were looking for. 

"You’re good?" You heard him worried, as the train was slowing down again and that meant a new ambush.

“Yup, going up.” With what you wanted in your hands, you were back on your feet. 

Thanks to that, it was the first time you’d paid attention to the face in front of you. His features were really delicate and his skin looked like porcelain. You considered it unfair that he was so beautiful. But what left you somewhat statically was how different his look was.

"(Y/N)? Is everything okay?" The train stopped, and that took you by surprise. Which is why your friend ended up taking you by the shoulders so you wouldn’t lose your balance. But then, several people had come down as the wagon felt emptier.

"Yup, thank you." You said, trying to help you friend with his glasses. He automatically laughed at how weird you looked doing it. "Here! All set."

"Thank you very much." With the latter, he concluded the conversation.

"Hey... are those glasses real? I didn’t notice any difference to normal glass when I grabbed them off the floor." Suddenly, you saw someone stand up and leave a seat available. While you offered your friend the seat, he insisted you take to it. 

"In fact they are fake, I don’t need them. Remember when I told you that in my town everyone knew me because of what happened that night?" As he spoke, you could only nod. "Well, in order to get rid of that, I decided to buy something that might change my appearance a bit."

"And it worked?" That’s all you could say. "I mean, you look really different without them."

"It did, now I use them out of habit." He added, giving you a smile. 

Moments later, both had already arrived at Aoyama Itchome Station, what it meant to face the school (or rather your classmates) once again. But this time you weren’t afraid, as your friends were there for you.

You still had some of your drink left, so you didn’t hesitate to finish it. Which was actually very nice; you really liked coffee.

It didn’t take you long to leave the station, as you both already knew where to go. In a matter of time, you were already walking to the school entrance. But a couple of comments caught your attention.

“How annoying- we’ve barely started high school, and already they’re making us play at a volleyball rally?” Some students who seemed to be freshmen started talking about the school event of the day, and in a way you thought it was very funny. “And why are they putting us against the teacher team? Kamoshida’s gonna crush us.”

Did inexperienced students have to play against a teacher? Who was a professional in the field? You were very curious about it, it wasn’t very fair.

“We get to see his technique live and in person, though. We should totally get spiked on!” Instead, one of them looked really excited to play against Kamoshida.

"Yeah, okay. You’re gonna get your face smashed in." You sighed when you heard that, it was very likely to happen. “Just look at how banged up the volleyball ball team is. What the hell goes in during their practices?”

You gave your friend a subtle nudge, it was a subject of his interest. Hearings that made you remember what you had seen in the palace. Ren could understand what you were thinking just by looking into your eyes.

"Heeeeeya! Mornin' guys." You had to turn around to confirm your suspicions. It was your friend Ryuji. So you smiled at him, his presence really was very cheerful.

"Morning, Ryuji." You waved at him as you stopped walking right at the entrance of the school. 

"Ren, did you bring me some food? I’m starving." Being already with you, one of his famous grimaces took place and you couldn’t help but laugh. His expressions were really funny. Your friend just nodded in response.

The three of you entered school and luckily their lockers were relatively close to yours. Which you really appreciated, it was lonely being without them. You left your drink there and also a couple of books you weren’t going to use today because of the volleyball rally.

**"Did you see who she hangs out with? They’re the worst."**

**"Can you believe they say she’s smart? I doubt it."**

**"One of my friends told me she was faking her grades. She doesn’t deserve to be here."**

Those comments hurt you a little, mainly because they were tarnishing the image of your friends. People being so ignorant gave you a huge headache. Yet, you decided to ignore them. You weren’t gonna waste your time with people who weren’t worth it.

Ryuji noticed in your expression that something was not right. So he did not take long to ask. 

"Did somethin’ happen, (Y/N)? You look kinda sad." The fact that he was so direct made you laugh, so you could only smile.

"Nothing important, come on. I don’t like being in the halls." You decided to turn a deaf ear as the comments had taken place again. He understood quickly, but before you started walking, you noticed how he had looked at the people who were talking about you. He looked so mad.

Soon after you entered your respective classrooms, Ms. Kawakami did not take too long to appear. She looked a little tired, as if she had had little sleep at night. You wanted to assume that being a teacher was very difficult and took a lot of effort.

“Okay, listen up everyone. As you all know, today is the volleyball rally.” Few students were paying attention to her and you found that a lack of respect. Although you were curious as she didn’t seem to mind. "Head up the gymnasium once you’ve changed. Got it?" After saying that, she sat in her seat just to read some reports. So you assumed you had free time.

"I don’t know whether to be grateful because we don’t have classes today or to be sad because I suck at volleyball." You said, letting out a big sigh. "Plus, the gym uniform looks awful on me."

"Are you bad at sports? That can ruin your image, you know." Ren said and you noticed that he was imitating Kobayakawa's voice. "That uniform looks bad on everyone, don’t worry."

"Your words of encouragement are the best!" You crushed your face on your desk. And that’s when your friend’s signature laugh took place.

However, the noise of a bell appeared, announcing the beginning of the school activity. 

"Do you know how to get to the gym?" Ren asked, as you were both walking out of the classroom.

"I haven’t the faintest idea, but there are maps all over the school." You mentioned, taking a look at one in front of you. "Look, it’s not too hard to get there."

After a chat with your friend, you took different paths. You had to go to the changing rooms. But when you started thinking about the comments you may get, you slowed down your steps. 

"Great..." That was all you could say, since you had curiously stopped at the door of one of the bathrooms. Luckily no one was there when you came in, that made you feel kinda calm. After entering one of the bathrooms you did not take too long to change, it was a fairly simple outfit. This is why in a matter of seconds you were already out of the there.

It was at that moment when you noticed a blonde-haired girl, leaning against the wall. It was her… Ann Takamaki. She looked pretty stressed as she was writing something on her phone. You felt something invisible, as she had not paid attention to your presence.

You looked in the mirror for a couple of seconds, the uniform looked pretty big on you. You thought you had sent them the right sizes. Without further delay, you left the bathroom.

"Look who it is, our favorite girl!" Your blond friend said quite excited, it was a nice coincidence to meet him. Although seconds later, Ren also came out of the same bathroom. Apparently they had the same idea as you.

"Hey, cuties." You winked at them, in a very exaggerated way indeed, so they both laughed. "I hate this."

"Oooh, come on. It’s the only day I can get revenge on Kamoshida and excuse myself with volleyball!" You opened your eyes a lot thanks to his comment, he said it as if nothing.

"Don’t get into trouble." Ren said quite serious, before the three of you started walking towards the gym. 

In the course of the morning, you saw too many volleyball matches. While you were trying to understand how to play, you really couldn’t do it. Sports weren’t your thing. But when your friends played, you were shocked. They were both too good to be true. 

_Ryuji and Ren were an excellent duo._

"(L/N)-san, you’re next!" At the end of one of the girl’s matches, a certain voice mentioned your name. "Do you know how to play?"

"Actually no, I’m not good at sports. I’m sorry, professor." You raised your gaze, meeting Kamoshida. He had taken the time to approach you and ask you personally. That’s why you had to pretend to be nice to him. "I hope that doesn’t get my team in trouble..."

"I see..." He turned around immediately, then shouted the last name of a girl who seemed to be in your same year. "You’re exempt! You’re new to the school so I get it."

"Oh, thanks!" Since you were sitting against the wall, you decided it was a nice gesture of gratitude to show him a smile.

“ **You can thank me later, haha!** ” That rotten look you’d seen in the castle had returned, so the urge to spit on him too. Anyway, he left you alone after that comment.

Luckily your two friends were already coming back, as they both had to go to the bathroom to clean up a bit. They were sweaty.

From one moment to another, a new match began. It was between a group of students and what seemed to be a group of teachers, you still didn’t recognize their faces well.

“Fuck, he’s actually really good...” You whispered as you watched Kamoshida’s moves. In response, you heard a snort from Ryuji.

You wanted to say something else, but the noise of a strong impact surprised you. Thanks to a serve, one of your classmates ended up on the ground, but it didn’t take him long to get up.

And then, you saw Ryuji focused on someone. 

"Still sticks out... Hasn’t changed a bit." With a little melancholy in his words, your friend spoke.

"She’s really pretty, it’s obvious she’s gonna stand out." In a way, you ended up seeing Ann too. Still, Ryuji was surprised by your answer and decided to change the subject.

"Pretty boring, right?" He said.

Your eyes turned to the game; just to see how Kamoshida dropped the same boy on the ground. Because of that, you stood up and immediately ran to him. No one wanted to.

When you managed to end up next to him, a lot of students got closer. It was annoying how curious they were. Your classmate was knocked out, until after a few seconds when he finally opened his eyes.

"Someone! Take him to the nurse’s office!" Kamoshida shouted, in a poor attempt to sound considerate.

"I’ll go, so please. I need someone to help me so he can get up!" You tried to be direct and that surprised a couple of students, as they quickly did what you asked.

Despite not being good at sports, you had a lot of strength which was good in that situation. With the help of a teacher, both managed to get him to his feet.

And since you made sure that it was you who was going to take him to the nurse’s office, you placed one of his arms on your shoulders.

"Tell me when you need to stop, yeah?" You showed him a little smile, starting off with a few small steps.

"Y-yeah..." His voice was quite small, but by putting you in his place, you could understand it. It didn’t feel right.

By giving your classmate a few breaks on the way, you slowly made it to the infirmary. You felt kind of sorry to see him so hurt, his face had a couple of bruises.

The nurse didn’t take long to check him, but on the other hand she asked if you could please wait outside. Obviously you didn’t complain about it.

After about 15 minutes, the door reopened and it was there when she gave you permission to enter the place.

The boy was lying on one of the stretchers, he had a bag of ice on his head thanks to the impact of the fall.

"S-sorry, I did not introduce myself. I am Yuuki Mishima..." He sounded so sore, his expression could also prove it. 

"It’s a pleasure, Mishima-san!" After some thought, you sat on one of the chairs next to him. "How are you feeling? Do you need anything from the cafeteria?"

"No, I’m fine... Thanks." It made you sad to see him like this, you didn’t mind if he was practically a stranger. 

When you got to see all his injuries, you noticed that some of them were pretty new. He sadly realized that and tried to change the subject, so he ended up questioning why you helped him.

That’s when you explained to him that he needed help and you wouldn’t hesitate if someone needed it. He just kept quiet.

"Oh, so you believe those rumors..." You did nothing but laugh.

"Y-you know?" You were surprised to hear him speak again, but it didn’t take you long to nod a little slowly.

"People talk about me less than a meter away. They don’t try to be quiet." You said.

"What? Have you heard them?" He looked a little nervous when he asked you that, also genuinely surprised.

"Yup, since the day I arrived." You were honest with him, as he seemed to want to understand you in a certain way. "Why so surprised? Did you also speak shit about me?”

"No, it’s not that (L/N)-san." He shook his head, though you noticed that that had hurt a little as he complained a little. "It’s just... No one thought you could speak Japanese."

"So that’s why they talk shit about me when I’m around? Is it because they think I don’t understand?" You felt so trashed, you weren’t going to deny it. While you wanted to follow your friend’s advice, it was very complicated. "Wow..."

"I’m sorry, I also thought you didn’t understand the language that well." He tried to bow, but you shook his head after seeing him. There was no need.

"You should not apologize, it is normal to be carried away by rumors." Your kindness did not take long to return, however, it was very difficult to maintain it. "But you know? It’s better to know the truth."

Mishima kept quiet until the nurse came back, she wanted to tell you both that it wasn’t necessary to go back to the gym. Letting you stay in the infirmary as long as you want, then she left.

You were a pretty curious person, so you didn’t take long to ask him if he was part of the volleyball team, since you saw him play too well. He eventually blushed a bit, but ended up nodding. He was part of the Shujin team.

"Mishima-san, is this the first time Kamoshida has done this to you?" With a little courage, you dared to ask him.

"N-no! He’s a good teacher, today was a simple mistake." The stutter in his words gave him away a little, but it was obvious he wasn’t going to admit it so quickly. That’s why you paid attention to his injuries again, you knew he just couldn’t have done them.

You began to see pain and disappointment in his eyes. You already knew the truth, you have seen it in the castle. But, you had to get him to say it. 

"I know it’s hard to admit that kind of thing and you don’t know me enough to… even trust me. But at the match I saw how Kamoshida treated you, his spikes were the strongest." Mishima repeatedly denied with his head, but did not know what to answer.

"But... I know a hard blow when I see one. You just couldn’t have done that on your own, Mishima-san." You confessed, in a rather low tone of voice. "Don’t worry, I won’t say anything to any authority if that’s what you want."

A somewhat uncomfortable silence took place in the room, although in his expression was full of conflict, he didn’t know well what to do or say.

"You’re new here, (L/N)-san... you don’t know Kamoshida." He stopped watching you after saying that. 

"So... was he the one who did all this to you?" His silence took place again, so you took it as a confirmation. "Look, that band-aid is full of blood. Let me change it."

He could only nod, and then you dedicated yourself to finding a new one. He seemed to have a kind of a cut. And luckily you found one in the emergency kit.

Very carefully, you disinfected his wound with the materials at your disposal, finally placing the band-aid.

"That’s it... Feel any better?" You kept a respectable distance with him, yet he looked quite flustered. 

"Yeah, I think so... Thanks, (L/N)-san." For the first time, he showed you a little smile. And for that same reason, you didn’t hesitate to give it back.

"Don’t worry, it’s okay." You showed him your thumb, going back to your chair. Although something was still wandering in your mind. "Wait, we’re in the same class, aren’t we?"

"Yes, but it’s no wonder that you didn’t even noticed me." His smile soon disappeared, you feared you had said something wrong.

"Oh, no. Don’t get the wrong idea, I avoid making eye contact with people in our class..." You were discouraged by having to talk about it, but you didn’t want misunderstandings.

Mishima again entered in silence, as he seemed not to know what to say. That’s why you were determined to change the subject, until someone interrupted you.

"(L/N)-san? Oh! You’re here, I’ve been looking for you for quite a while." Your homeroom teacher remarked cheerfully at opening the door of the infirmary. 

"Ms. Kawakami! Is there anything that you need? I’m sorry, I’ve been with Mishima-san." You bowed slightly, standing up again.

"In fact, the Principal needs you. It’s an important matter." She pointed to the door, which meant you had to leave your classmate alone.

“I see... Should I go to the office right now?" It was the last thing you needed at the time, but you couldn’t go against your authorities.

"Yes, please. It would be best." With a somewhat insistent smile, you just accepted your destiny. "I will stay with Mishima-kun, don’t worry."

"Well, Mishima-san... I hope you get better! Have a nice day." It was the last thing you said before you left the infirmary, and without further ado, you headed to the principal’s office. 

The talk you had with him... wasn’t exactly what you expected. You knew pretty well that your grades were perfect, they always had been. But the difference was that in your country you were never given the opportunity to be an honor student.

The principal explained in detail why you had been chosen from among several students, but you still couldn’t understand it. 

Without hesitation, you accepted such a title. And that seemed to please the man in front of you very much, his smile was too big.

After explaining the benefits to you and, in turn, conditions, you just nodded back. You agreed with absolutely everything, also because it didn’t differ much with what you were already doing.

"It is an honor that you are part of our school, (L/N)-san!" You were so cheerful at that momento that you could only smile. You were just thinking about how happy your grandmother was going to be. "There’s nothing more to say, you can go home now. Classes end in 5 minutes."

"Thank you so much, I promise not to disappoint you!" You bowed before leaving the office, you could finally come home. 

At great speed, you headed to your locker to look for your belongings. Having everything in your bag, you waited for your friends at your classroom door. When they finally arrived, they had a big smile on their faces.

"We’ve been looking for you for quite a while, Ryuji thought you’d already returned home." Ren confessed, he looked a bit tired. He played a couple of games during the morning.

"What happened, Mishima died or something?" Looking at him was enough to scold him. "Sorry."

"The Principal called me into his office, I have great news!" You mentioned, with a rather cheerful tone of voice. 

"Great! For real? Wait here, I have to go get my stuff." It was the last thing Ryuji said, as after that he went to his classroom in search of his things. Ren did the same too, but it took the least time, as he was close by.

"Ready to go home?" The tallest added, letting you know he was ready. "Kamoshida killed us today."

"He’s right! That bastard..." Before you knew it, your other friend had already returned with you. With the three of you together, you could finally make your way out of school. "Now, tell me what Kobayakawa told you."

“Guess what!” You took more steps so you could end up in front of him, showing a big smile. "I am officially an honor student!"

"For real?! That’s amazing, (Y/N)!" Ryuji soon smiled, he looked really happy for you. “I need help with my classes tho!”

"You’re definitely the smartest one of the group." Ren added, smiling at you as well. They both looked honestly proud of you. And that made you even happier.

"I know I hate being told about my GPA, but it’s a great opportunity for college!" As they began to walk, you just waited for them to catch up. "The Principal explained all the conditions and well, it doesn’t differ much with what I already do. So, it’s easy!"

"We’re proud of you." Your blond friend didn’t take long to mess up your hair, while your other friend was laughing. "But, we have something important to say."

"Then we better talk about it on the stairs, and fast. I heard that a girl was going to be on the roof so we can’t risk ourselves." Your expression was serious again, although you still had no idea what they wanted to talk about, it had to be confidential.

It didn’t take you long to get there, so Ren was in charge of talking. Your friends were questioning a couple of students about Kamoshida’s mistreatment. As you guessed, they all denied it.

"I think it’s better if we keep going." You said and your two friends nodded. 

After that, it didn’t take you long to get to the exit. Until Ryuji left you alone with Ren. 

"It’s that Mishima-san?" You asked him something nervous, the last thing that boy needed today was to be harassed.

"Ryuji wanted to talk, he’s part of the volleyball team." His answer was clear and concise.

Being close to them, you could see how nervous Mishima was. It was obvious he didn’t want to talk to your friend.

"Kamoshida’s been coaching you, huh? You sure it’s not just physical abuse?" You were surprised by how direct he was to ask him that question. Still, you knew it wasn’t the right time.

"Ryuji, stop-" You wished to keep talking but you were immediately interrupted by Mishima.

“Certainly not!” He looked so panicked, it was obvious that talking about it made him uncomfortable. 

"What’re you talkin' all polite for? Anyways... We saw him spike you today, right on the face." He had completely ignored your comment.

"That was just because I’m not good at the sport..." Mishima’s voice had grown weaker, as if it hurt him to say that. He wasn’t even seeing Ryuji, his sight was stuck on the floor.

"You’re really good, Mishima-san." You decided to come a little closer to him, with a subtle smile. You didn’t know if it would cheer him up, but it was from your heart. "Hey, how are you feeling now?"

"A little better, (L/N)-san..." He soon smiled back at you, even though you could see there was sadness in his expression.

“What’s going on here?” You closed your eyes when you heard a certain teacher, you didn’t want to deal with him. "Mishima, isn’t time for practice?"

"I’m not feeling well today..." You thought you were exaggerating, but the boy evidently started to tremble. 

"What? Maybe you’re better off quitting then." You couldn’t believe how imbecile Kamoshida was. "You’re never going to improve that crappy form unless you show up to practice."

Before Ryuji could say anything, since he was ready to do so, you decided to take advantage.

"I don’t mean to offend you, but Mishima-san said he wasn’t feeling well. In the infirmary he almost passed out from the pain, I don’t think it’s good for him to train when he’s so weak." You put yourself ahead of your friends, to avoid any problems.

“I see... Well.” You could see the anger in his eyes but he couldn’t let it out. "I’ll trust our new honor student." It gave you some revulsion that he would even talk to you, but when you got what you wanted, you did a little bow.

"I expect you tomorrow at practice, Mishima." Kamoshida folded his arms and you thought he was finally going to retire, but he didn’t. "(L/N)-san, don’t waste your time with people like them." 

"Bastard..." You heard Ryuji speak softly as he approached him. He seemed ready to fight.

"The same goes for you." The professor replied, shamelessly. "This won’t get us anywhere." 

When you thought he had nothing more to say, what came out of his mouth threw you a little bit.

**“Shujin Academy is a place where those with aspirations come to learn, just like your friend. Unworthy students like yourselves don’t have any right to be here. Get with the program!”**

After that, Kamoshida finally left. You felt too much relief, Mishima too. You couldn’t imagine how much he had to go through to be so scared of him. 

“That asshole...” Your friend said. “He’s gonna pay for this!”

“There’s no point. Proving he’s physically abusing us... is meaningless.” You felt bad after understanding what he was saying, no one deserved that. "Everyone knows... The Principal, our parents... They all know, and they all keep quiet about it."

"This has to be a joke!" Ryuji looked very surprised, he didn’t expect any of that.

"Mishima-san... Let’s go home. You need this day to rest." You were forced to change the subject, discomfort was present. Everyone felt that way. "Come on, guys."

After saying that, the four of you left the school in silence. None of you knew what to say, until you reached the train station.

"(L/N)-san, thank you so much for helping me today." Your classmate bowed to you, he looked really grateful. "Kamoshida never lets me miss practice, but today I will be able to rest properly thanks to you..."

"I’m truly glad. Please take a good bath when you get home! Eat well." The fact that the boy could rest from the martyrdom of Kamoshida was comforting. "Goodbye, Mishima-san."

Seconds later, the boy said goodbye to your friends. After he retired, it didn’t take them long to ask you what had happened before, so you responded without delay. They were amazed at how quickly you had managed to gain his trust.

Due to their fatigue, you all decided not to visit the castle. If they didn’t have the energy, it would be dangerous to be even in there. Ryuji’s face of joy was huge, you could tell he really just wanted to get home and sleep. 

The train ride was not annoying at all, since everyone had got a seat. It wasn’t relatively normal at rush hour. 

And since you were in the middle, you suddenly felt a head lie on your shoulder. After a couple of seconds, you felt another one. Your two friends were taking a little nap, but you couldn’t blame them. 

With just one station to go, you woke them up carefully, but couldn’t help but laugh at Ryuji’s complaints.

Saying goodbye to them was indeed difficult, as they were insisting on walking you home. But you just wanted some time alone. 

You said goodbye to them with a big hug. Ren also mentioned that they were very proud of you, that you were the best.

Since your second day in Tokyo, you had seen that there were too many food stores in the station’s shopping center, so you wanted to try some dishes. And you didn’t hesitate to give yourself a small prize, you deserved it. 

When you checked your phone, you noticed it was snack time. According to what you read on the plane, Shibuya was known for all the sweets they sold, so you wanted to give it a try. 

In the distance, you had seen a huge image of a dessert and it caught your attention completely. It didn’t take you long to finish in front of that shop. Since you didn’t know how to mention it with a Japanese accent, you carefully ordered a strawberry parfait.

When you had it in your hands, you felt a lot of happiness. It looked really delicious.

"Ah, it seems you were the one who bought the last one." You were heading to one of the seats of that place, but that remark made you stop completely. You could only laugh, as you knew it was Akechi. "You beat me, (L/N)-san."

"Do you like desserts? I could assure that you were a salty food guy." You joked, bowing a little to greet him. "Hello, Akechi-san."

"I’m actually a big fan of sweets, I visit this shop quite often." He confessed, taking a look at your dessert. "But I must admit, I was really craving that parfait." 

"I’m sorry to tell you this, but it’s mine. I deserve it." You took a couple of steps back, laughing. But on the other hand, you didn’t mind giving it to him. "You want it though? I can buy something else."

"No, it’s not necessary!" He began to deny it as if his life depended on it, but you could feel that he really wanted it. 

"Please, I can buy something else. Here, enjoy." You approached Akechi just to give him the parfait. Your gaze was so insistent that he could not refuse, although it took a few seconds to take it. "I didn’t touch it, so don’t worry."

"I must admit, I haven’t felt so intimidated by a woman in a long time." He revealed, next to a soft giggle. "Please, let me buy you whatever you want."

"Mmm, that strawberry pancake caught my attention. And it’s even cheaper. It’s that okay?" You tilted your face a little, while pointing to the sign that had the prices of the place. It was a somewhat adorable image to watch him eat his dessert, he looked like a little boy. "I love pancakes."

"It’s a good choice, I’ve had that dessert too many times. But you have to change from time to time, right?" You nodded, excited again as you were finally going to eat something. "If you don’t mind, could you go sit at one of the tables?" 

"Oh, are you going to eat with me?" It was something you didn’t expect, so you thought your surprise face was obvious.

"Of course, it’s our second activity as neighbors, isn’t it?" There was a certain twinkle in his eyes again, it seemed like he enjoyed spending his time with you.

You just did what he asked, choosing one of the tables furthest from the shop. It was a quieter place, but Akechi didn’t take long to come back.

"I apologize if I kept you waiting. I couldn’t find you." Thanks to that you laughed little, a detective had taken a couple of minutes to find you. "But here’s what you asked for, (L/N)-san." 

"I came here because there are few people, it’s more quiet." You clapped happily for the food, you were ready to take a bite. "Thank you very much, Akechi-san!"

"I understand, I also prefer quiet places. Crowds are not my thing." He smiled, practically ready to devour his dessert. "And it’s nothing. Now we’re even."

People who said that desserts from Japan were magical were not wrong.

"How was your day?" The boy who was with you asked, while cleaning the traces of cream he had in his mouth with a napkin. "You look quite cheerful."

"Well, it’s been a good day, since you asked." You did what he did, trying to clean up any food trail. "I got good news!"

"What is it, (L/N)-san?" He looked genuinely interested, as the way he was looking at you was somewhat different.

"I have been chosen as an honor student." Your eyes were closed by how big your smile was. 

"That’s amazing! Congratulations!" He did not take long to smile at you, making present that aura of prince again. "I had no idea you were such a student."

"Are you assuming that I seem unintelligent?" You taught him your best (perhaps worst) expression of disappointment. And he did nothing but laugh. "I did not expect that from you, Akechi-san..." You took your right hand to your chest, simulating a great pain. 

"I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have judged a book by its cover." He chuckled, trying to look sorry. It was funny that you two could have such a conversation.

"Now you know." You shook your head, you had already stopped laughing. "But what about you?"

"My day? Well... average. I couldn’t go to school today because of work, but it wasn’t as heavy as I thought it would be." You tilted your head a little bit, like that was making you listen to him better. "I came here today to give me a little gift, but finding you was a pleasant surprise."

"Oh, so you didn’t go to school? I thought it was weird not seeing you in the morning." You left one of your legs on top of the other, making yourself more comfortable in your seat. "But I’m glad your day wasn’t heavy, yesterday you looked pretty tired."

"Yesterday? Oh, yes. To be honest, I don’t want to have a day like that ever again. The office was a very chaotic place." Watching him talk about his day was somewhat comforting, his presence made you quite pleasant. But on the other hand, you were sorry to know all that. It was too much stress for a simple student. "But, (L/N)-san..."

"I hope not, I can get a sense of how tedious it could have been." You said, trying to put yourself in his place. "Yes? Did something happen?"

"Today I had the pleasure of meeting your grandmother." That was enough for you to end up with your eyes wide open. You considered your grandmother a very special person.

"Oh, shoot. So you met her..." You swallowed a little spit, since I didn’t know where to put you. Your grandmother loved to talk about you, even if it was with strangers. "I swear she’s good! She just talks a lot."

"Haha! I could see that, it’s adorable. She kept talking about you." Out of shame, your face turned completely red; so you decided to look away from the boy. "She invited me to your house one of these days.”

"She did? That’s g-great!" You ended up smiling in the most uncomfortable way possible. You didn’t mind Akechi visiting your house, but your grandmother was very carefree person.

"She said I could ask for your number." With a little courage, and your face already in its normal color, you were ready to see him again. Just to find him with a smile. "Obviously, if it’s not too much trouble."

"No, of course not! But next time don’t accept her invitation..." You bit your lower lip very hard while smiling, your grandmother was really something else. And without delay, you ended up with your phone in hand. "Don’t mind typing your number and chat ID, Akechi-san?"

"Not at all!" He nodded as he grabbed your phone and in a matter of seconds placed all his data. "Here."

"Thank yooou very much." You didn’t know what else to say, as you were observing that Akechi was now your new contact on your phone. 

"Is your grandmother dangerous?" You noticed that he wanted to joke. It was obvious that he had already realized how you felt. "Should I investigate like the detective I am?"

"She’s an old lady who talks a lot, too much to be true. I won’t deny that she’s nice, I love her very much! But... I just warning you." You did nothing but laugh softly. "She’s a pretty chaotic person."

"I’ll have to find out first! But I couldn’t refuse, she even offered me some cake..." Again his aura of prince appeared, while accommodating better one of his gloves. "(L/N)-san, do you think we should leave? I mean, if you’re heading home."

"Oh, yes. She must be worried." You stood up quickly, grabbing your bag. You were ready to go home.

"Then come on, I don’t want you to have problems with her." He mentioned, standing up as well. 

After that, the two of you headed out of the station. You had a talk full of different topics, but the one that most caught your attention was when he talked about academics. Akechi had also revealed himself to be an honor student. And that’s why thanks to his work, his school allowed him to miss classes freely. Even so, he assured you that he did not abuse that, that he missed classes only when necessary. 

You two were oblivious when you realized that you had already arrived at your building, your talk had had you two pretty focused. Already inside, you greeted the doorman cordially. 

"This is where we say goodbye, right?" You pushed the button to call the elevator. 

"... I’ll take the elevator today, I’m too full to use the stairs." He added, also waiting for the elevator to arrive. 

When the doors opened, the two entered quietly. To do him a favor, you touched both buttons. The one on his floor and yours. He thanked you with a smile. Since he was the first to leave, you could only wish him a good day, or at least what was left of the afternoon. He wished you the same, waving at you until the doors closed again. 

When you were at home, you kissed your grandmother on the cheek. You were ready to tell her the news.

No sooner had you finished, she began to cry, those were tears of joy. It made you happy to see her like this, to fill her with pride.

After spending some time with her, you went to your room to lie down in your bed. It was at that moment that you came up with the idea of talking to Akechi, so that he would also add you to his contacts list.   
  


**You**

**8:20 P.M**

Hello, Akechi-san. It’s me, (L/N).

I enjoyed our second activity as neighbors a lot. So thank you for spending your time with me.

Oh, and this is my phone number!

**Goro Akechi**

**9:17 P.M**

Good evening, (L/N)-san. I already added you to my contacts list.

I truly appreciated your company today. 

When Yabuki-san wants to invite me, you just let me know. 

**You**

**9:17 P.M**

Hello! Great.

She’ll probably invite you on Saturday, but I’m not so sure.  
  


**Goro Akechi**

**9:18 P.M**

Well, we’ll see. Thank you, (L/N)! 

See you tomorrow, good night. 

**You**

**9:25 P.M**

Yeah, see you tomorrow!

Bye-bye.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my girlfriend is sloooowly falling in love with ren  
> and maybe you guys have already noticed a little change on the tags  
> im really excited!!!  
> and anon!!! you were right 🥺🥺🥺 our grandma is going to be friends with akechi  
> thanks for reading 💖  
> luvya


	5. Wait A Minute

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, i’ll correct any mistakes on the weekend. (!!!!)  
> let me know if you guys see any tho. (!)  
> update: I HAD A HUGEEEE MISTAKE, the first month of the game is april 😭😭😭 i genuinely thought it was march )):
> 
> tw: shiho’s suicide attempt
> 
> **FEEDBACK IS ALWAYS APPRECIATED. 💖 ******

As early as April 14th, a new day began. Going to class with Ren was beginning to be normal, as your friend waited for you at the entrance of the station. But this time it was special, as Ryuji was also there.

The subway, as always, was full of people, but it was common since you took it at rush hour. Your talk revolved around meaningless topics, being also spontaneous. Talking to them was really fun, their presence was worth a lot. From Ryuji's silly comments to Ren's dad jokes, the whole trip was pretty fun. 

The walk to school was not too long, but it made you quite irritable to hear how several students praise Kamoshida. What was so good about that asshole? That's all you could ask yourself. And your friends seemed to be asking the same question. 

As if it was already a sad routine, seconds after the three of you set a foot inside the school, a lot of comments about you came out, from the most ridiculous to the most hurtful.

Still, that didn't stop you from having a good day, which you obviously needed a lot. Being able to study in peace was something you liked too much, and it's something you achieved in those little moments when the whole class was quiet.

Even your friend could see that you were enjoying that moment, so he decided not to bother you at all. Until lunchtime came. That's when a certain blond appeared, waiting for you two with a big smile on his face; it seemed that he had already taken care of lunch, as he had several things in hand.

You ended up having lunch on the roof and thanks to that, you had a nice time. Your friend had bought you instant ramen, but it was definitely the best because it was delicious. You didn't hesitate to thank him, wanting to pay for what he'd spent. But he insisted that it wasn't necessary, that he wanted to thank you for being his friends. Since he had not experienced feeling at home in school too long ago. That in a way moved you very much, so your eyes filled with tears.

You didn't want to be dismissed as exaggerated, as perhaps they thought it strange that you cried. But you felt like Ryuji. Having friends was relatively new to you, as you were finally free to decide who to be with, who to get along with. And your friends were those people, you were happy with your new friends. You didn't really know how to explain it, but you felt at home. Like they're your family. 

Ren was the first to notice, so he didn't hesitate to smile at you; asking why those tears. Ryuji did not take too long to come and hug you, as according to him, you needed a hug. Obvious was one of his excuses, as he also wanted one. While your friend wearing glasses did not join the hug, he looked at the two from afar with an even bigger smile than before. In a way, he looked pretty proud.

Minutes before lunch was over, the three returned to their classrooms. It was difficult to return to that heavy environment, which you hated completely, but it was your responsibility after all. 

It was in the middle of a Kawakami class that you got a message, from the group you had with your friends. Ryuji had told you if both could talk to Takamaki, as she was best friends with Suzui, one of the players on the school volleyball team. But then he regretted it, thinking it was a bad idea.

When classes were over, you didn't want to go home. You preferred to finish your homework at the library. But your friends wanted to get back home with you, so the three of you agreed on meeting in one of the school's small courtyards.

The homework itself wasn't complicated, but you understood pretty well that you had to show the school your ability as a student. Completing a few small notes, a message made your phone vibrate. You laughed when you noticed that it was Ryuji's, saying to lend him your notes.

The moment you finished, you stood up automatically to put your stuff in your bag. You thought it would be convenient to get out in time.

When you arrived, both boys were waiting for you. According to Ren's words, you had taken too long, but the truth was that they had arrived earlier. Still, your blond friend looked pretty stressed. According to him, he had spent a good deal of time trying to get information about Kamoshida's abuses, but no one could tell him anything. Everyone was too scared. 

After a while of debating what to do to defeat a certain "King", a rather adorable voice came forward. More and no less than Morgana. While it was amazing to see him like a cat, what struck you most was hearing him speak like a human. Although the tranquility did not last long, as he began to complain that he had been abandoned the other day. Anyway, he mentioned something quite interesting. But it was a subject you couldn't talk about in front of all of Shujin's students.

That's why in a matter of minutes everyone ended up back on the roof, ready to hear what Morgana had to offer you. Sure, after hearing his complaints about being hard on him.

"You said you know how we can do something about Kamoshida, right?" Ryuji questioned, rather interested.

"It has to do with what that guy was talking about earlier. You'll need to attack his castle." In a way, seeing Morgana made you really want to have a kitten. It looked completely adorable, but you had to pay attention to it. "That castle it's how Kamoshida views the school. He doesn't realize what happens in there, but it's deeply connected to the depths of his heart."

"That son of a bitch…" You muttered, getting angry again just by imagining that man.

"Thus, if that castle disappears, it would naturally impact the real Kamoshida." The cat went on, and thanks to a question one of your friends asked, he continued. "A palace is a manifestation of a person's distorted desires. So, if that castle were no more…"

"His desires would go too." Ren added.

"Precisely! You sure pick things fast." He was right, your friend was a pretty smart person. 

After that, Morgana kept talking about what you could do and what he could do to help you all, which your friends and you were really excited about. Although, as the conversation went on, they were able to see both the positive and the negative sides. The worst outcome was Kamoshida's death. It was a matter you had to think hard about, as you had to be sure to decide what to do. That's when Morgana said goodbye, not to mention that he was waiting for an answer.

Thus, the cat disappeared in a matter of seconds, leaving them with a bitter taste.

"... Shit. This is bad, so bad." Ryuji said, kicking a small can of soda over there. "I don't want to kill the guy."

"I know you don't, but..." you added, sitting on one of the desks. "That's gonna happen if we mess things up."

"She's right, we shouldn't be so negative about that." Your other friend got into the conversation while taking his bag off the floor. "Take your time to think about it, Ryuji."

"Yeah... it's for the best." The blond nodded, and in the process you managed to see how he calmed down a bit. "I have to go home, Mom told me to be early."

"Don't keep her waiting, come on." You reached out to him, indicating you wanted to hug him before he left. Just to make him feel more relaxed. He looked a little overwhelmed. "A quick hug before you go."

"You're the best..." His expression of sadness was quite false, as he wanted to make you laugh. But he was quite quick to accept your embrace. "Is this becomin' a thing, right? Because I like it."

"Only when you need it, so go home before your mom gets mad at you." You shook your head while you were still squeezing him. Still, he didn't take too long to separate; saying goodbye after you two. 

Only you and Ren were left. It wasn't long before you left the roof, taking your time to get out of school. This time the silence remained present, as it was quite evident that both were thinking about what you had heard today. About its possibilities and consequences.

Already at the school entrance, a couple of messages from Ryuji appeared on your phone. He was just talking about how rumors were attacking a new person, Suzui. Thanks to that, Ren took it upon himself to answer him, saying that you would be attentive to anything you could hear on the way home.

Little did you and your friend know that Shujin's students were going to be so cruel.

"Takamaki always looks kind of unhappy whenever Mr. Kamoshida talks to her." A girl who seemed to be a freshman said, talking to her friend. Who promptly responded.

"Maybe she doesn't want to talk to him at school to show off how she's got him wrapped around her fingers? Ugh... disgusting." You didn't know what to think, but you couldn't stay any longer listening to them as you might attract attention. So with your friend you kept walking a little longer.

"Sakamoto's been asking questions about the volleyball team. Just who does he think he is?" A couple of guys were talking in front of the vending machines, so both carefully stopped to listen. "The volleyball team's never going to tell him anything. They're are completely loyal to Kamoshida." 

"Well, if Kamoshida likes them, their future is pretty much set. Of course they'd back him up." You rolled your eyes.

"Speaking of which, I hear Kamoshida's new favorite girl is someone called Suzui." Talking about it made you nauseous, but you had to keep listening. "Oh, the girl that was chosen to be a regular? Ah, her face was all swollen. It looked pretty bad."

That was enough for you and Ren, so you both decided to go to the subway station. But in a way, it felt strange to see so many Shujin people inside of it. A feeling of suffocation came over you, but you decided it was better to ignore it. 

After paying for the ticket, both waited patiently for your transport to arrive. And because of that, within minutes you were already inside. 

The trip lasted as usual. But this time you didn't talk to Ren, everything was kinda uncomfortable. He could only tell you that his guardian had scolded him for being late.

Leaving the station, which was actually crowded, you got to see one of your classmates. Ann Takamaki. 

You didn't plan on greeting her or anything, until you both got to hear what she was talking about on the phone.

"Would you please give it a rest?! I told you, I'm not feeling up to it." She looked so angry, her expression gave her away. "Wait, what!? That's not what you promised! And you call yourself a teacher!?"

"Ren, what the fuck..." You whispered, seeing him a little worried. If your suspicions didn't fail you, it was pretty obvious who she was talking to. 

"This has nothing to do with Shiho!" It was the last thing you heard her say before she crouched on the ground. She looked... lost. As if she didn't know what to do at the time. "Shiho's... starting position..." 

You did not hesitate to approach her and your friend soon did the same, but it was obvious that it took her by surprise. 

"Wait, were you guys listening?" She looked too sad, as if she had been told devastating news. And maybe if it was about that, you didn't know for sure. 

"Not on purpose." Ren said, trying not to look like a meddler.

"Haven’t you heard of privacy?” You didn’t really know what to say. "... Sorry, I was out of line."

"D-don’t worry. We didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable." You got a little closer to your friend, just to give the girl more space.

"You were talking about a friend..." You responded naturally, as you didn't want her to misunderstand your intentions to help. "That's all we could hear."

"I see... That's true..." She added, just so she could continue. "It's nothing at all. Nothing..."

And from one moment to the next, Takamaki just started running. That left you and your friend in great confusion; you both wanted to help her and the best option was to follow her. Or at least that's what you thought at the time.

When you started running, you remembered that your friend couldn't accompany you, because he couldn't be home late. So you just told him not to worry, that you were going to help her. He just nodded, trusting you.

You've never run into a station in your life, let alone one you didn't know completely. But luckily, you didn't have a hard time locating her; she stood out from the rest. Just like your friend said. 

It only took you a couple of minutes to find her, but it was a little devastating to see her that way. Her eyes were full of tears and her breathing was quite agitated. You couldn't imagine what was happening to her, but you had an idea who was to blame.

"Why are you following me? Just leave me alone..." You could see how she was trying not to cry, you understood that feeling. So you couldn't blame her for how she was treating you. 

"I'm just... worried." You said while you were rushing to find a tissue, she needed it. When you offered it to her, she could only see you with amazement.

"Why? Why do you keep worrying about me?" It didn't take her too long to accept what you were giving her, using it quickly to wipe her tears. 

"Let's go... let's go somewhere safe." You didn't want to invade her privacy but it seemed like she really needed someone to talk to.

"Huh? I really don't get you..." You noticed how her voice broke, but then she nodded. So you both promptly left the station. And the first thing Takamaki offered you was to go to Big Bang Burger.

While it was an awkward walk, as you didn't know each other completely, you were very grateful that she hadn't rejected your proposal. You were genuinely worried about her. 

While you waited for your orders, which were nothing more than a simple coffee and a glass of soda, the silence remained. But as soon as they put the drinks on the table, she started talking.

"It was just an argument..." Her voice had changed, her vulnerability had become more present. As if she were hurt.

"... With Kamoshida?" Sou didn't want to offend her at all. But it was necessary.

"You heard the rumors, haven't you? About Mr. Kamoshida..." She looked away, as if she were sorry or even ashamed to talk about it. "Everyone says we're getting it on."

"But it's not true." You decided to say, being clear with your words. You knew it was a lie, you were confirming it just by looking at it. "Am I wrong, Takamaki-san?" 

"... That's right, that's not true." She was quite surprised, so much so that her eyes opened wide. "That was him on the other line. I avoided giving him my number... for the longest time..."

"So he was insisting on you for a long time... that jerk." You could only get angry, it wasn't fair for a student to have to live that. No one had to.

"He told me to go to his place after this... you know what it means." From one moment to the next, she began to squeeze one of the napkins she had at her disposal. "If I turn him down, he said he'd take my friend off as a regular on the team..."

"He is manipulating you, Takamaki-san..." She must have known by now, but it was obvious. "He's trying to take advantage of a high school student and he plans to get away unscathed."

"I just can't take it anymore..." She ended up laying her back on the seat, with her gaze now stuck on the floor. "I've had enough of this... I hate him!"

"I- sorry..." You wanted to tell her something, but you didn't want to interrupt her either. So you just let her talk. She understood you, and on the other hand, she was able to calm down a bit. 

"But still... Shiho's my best friend. She's all I have in that sorry excuse of a school!" In what seemed like words of despair, you could understand it. She was overwhelmed. "Tell me... What should I do?"

"I don't want to-" Since you were speaking in a murmur, she didn't take long to notice your nervousness. You didn't know what to say.

"Sorry... I shouldn't have asked, it's not your problem." You saw tears fall down her cheeks, it was a pretty sad picture. "What am I saying? I've barely know you..."

"Don't worry, it seemed like you needed help at a time like this." You automatically denied hearing her apologize. It wasn't her fault that she felt that way, so it didn't take you long to understand.

"Huh? You're so... unique. Usually, everyone just ignores me." That's when you saw her drink some of her soda. "I've heard people talking about you, but... They said you were a bad person, a liar."

"I'm bad to the bone, I guess?" You said that because you just wanted to make her laugh a little. And you did it. 

"It's that supposed to be a joke? I kinda had a feeling they were all just exaggerations." Hearing her chuckle was a relief. "You seemed lonely... But when I saw that you quickly made friends, I felt a little jealous."

"My friends? Oh, you mean them..." You asked, tilting your head. "Yeah, they're the best."

"But I don't know, it's really easy for me to talk to you..." Knowing that in a way was comforting, you wanted to help her. "Huh... Is there really no way for me to help Shiho?"

"Just... don't leave her alone. She needs you." Despite not knowing too much about what was going on between them, it was the first thing that crossed your mind. Still, she seemed to agree with you.

"I wish he'd just change his mind... Like, forget about me, and everything." Those words were really strong for you, she really wanted to get rid of Kamoshida at all costs. And you maybe, just maybe, could help her. "As if something like that would ever happen..."

"It could happen..." With a little smile, you watched her carefully. "In the meantime, be strong."

"I wasn't asking for a serious response... but thanks. I do feel a bit better now." On her face you could see how little by little, she could smile a bit. It looked like she really needed to get it all off her chest. "I'm gonna head home." 

"I'm really happy about that, but please be safe!" You commented as you watched her get out of her seat. In a way, she looked more confident.

"Thanks, (L/N)-san." It was the last thing she said before he left the establishment. 

And it was in that instant that you smashed your face on the table. It was too much information, it created too much stress. You hadn't even touched your coffee, you were feeling pretty overwhelmed at the moment. For the same reason, you stayed in that position for a couple of minutes.

"I guess this isn't a great time to say hello." You turned your face a bit, and to your surprise, it was your neighbor, Akechi. "Good afternoon, (L/N)-san."

"Good afternoon, Akechi-san." You waved him with your right hand, slowly leaving the table. You didn't want him to consider it disrespectful. "What are you doing here?"

"I came looking for a coffee! Surprisingly, their americano is pretty good." Thanks to his comment, you noticed he had a cup of coffee in his hand. "Mind if I sit?"

"Really? I had no idea, it's my first time here." You were surprised to hear him, as, by his appearance, you could bet that Akechi would not buy at such a place. "Sure, no problem."

"Do you look a little discouraged, am I right?" He was pretty blunt about it, and you laughed a little. 

"You are, it was a pretty complicated day and it's not over yet..." After a while, you decided to sip your coffee that luckily was still hot. "I've only been in school for a few days... and I already have too many problems."

"Problems? What happened?" He asked you again, after he also took a sip of his coffee. "Sure, if you want to talk about it."

"Well, as I mentioned to you the other day, there are already a lot of rumors about me at school. But not that I care, not too much. But on the other hand... there's a teacher I don't like." You could notice the change in his look after saying that, as if his curiosity was completely aroused. "It's quite complicated."

"You had problems with your teacher, (L/N)-san?" He left his drink aside, as he seemed even more attentive. The subject seemed to matter, it was something genuine. 

"Yes… And no? I mean... he's done worse with other people." You didn't know if it was right to talk about it with someone outside the school, but in a way, you had a lot of confidence in Akechi.

"You're from Shujin, aren't you?" He glanced at your uniform, though you quickly confirmed, nodding with your head. "Do you mind saying what that teacher did?"

"Well, since I'm new I can't tell you much. But he had... suspicious attitudes towards me." While you were talking about your experience in the castle, that did not change the fact that that was Kamoshida's thought about you. "Still, I'm not comfortable talking about other people's experiences."

"He has done something to you, (L/N)-san?" His look had now changed again, he looked too serious. 

"Luckily he didn't overstep the mark, but don't worry. I'm fine." You tried to look more cheerful, because you wanted to change how tense the air was.

"I have my contacts, you know? Don't hesitate to talk to me if anything happens." You noticed how hard it was for him to smile, but you bet he did it just to humor you. 

"Sure, I forgot. My neighbor is a detective." You took a big sip of your drink after saying that, as you needed it a lot. Somehow running to Takamaki had shaken you up too much. "Still, to be honest..."

"Yes? Is something wrong?" He tilted his head, trying to look innocent. His typical prince aura had returned. 

"Not to judge your appearance, which I'm still doing, but I didn't think you frequented these places." You laughed a little low after saying that, not planning to offend him, but to make him laugh.

"Are you assuming I can't visit Bug- Big Bang Burger?" He tried to sound really offended when he said that, even though you could tell he was playing your game. Then he took a little sip of his drink, which caught your attention, because now that you thought about it, he had had very little of his coffee. 

"In fact, I could bet it's your first time here." You crossed your legs after saying that, at the same time you came a little closer to observe his face. "Did you lie to me, Akechi-san?"

"... I guess I've been caught." His expression made you a little curious, as he looked a little amazed by your little find.

"Then what are you doing here? Wait, let me guess." In a somewhat exaggerated way, you took your right hand to your chest, trying to see yourself as hurt as possible. "You wanted to be a good neighbor, didn't you? Generate a good image."

"No, it's not that, (L/N)-san." He didn't take long to laugh at your joke, though his face later changed, looking a little more relaxed. "I'll be honest, a while ago I went to deliver some papers and I could see you out the window. At first I saw you with a girl, but when I was coming back I saw you stamped on the table."

"So you were sorry to see me alone? What a good neighbor you are!" In a certain part, you were somewhat embarrassed to be seen in that state. You didn't want to make him feel sorry, it bothered you a lot to create that feeling in people.

"In fact, I worried, I thought something happened to you. I guess it wasn't my best alibi." On the other hand, you couldn't blame him. Despite being just neighbors, he took the initiative to care about you. While he surprised you, you started to feel that he was very nice. He was definitely a good person, or so you thought at the moment.

"There's nothing to worry about!" You left your coffee on the table again just to deny with both hands. You believed that by doing that, you would gain more credibility. "I just have too much stress on me."

"I can imagine that, you've got it written all over your face." You were sure he didn't want to be mean when he said that, but you couldn't help laughing. He said it too subtly.

"Thank you!" You replied in a rather sarcastic way, then taught him a big smile. "Despite your excellent speaking skills, your presence made me feel more calm."

"It's nothing!" Adding to the joke, he also showed you one of his best smiles. "Now I do look like a good neighbor, don't I?"

"I can't wait to tell my grandmother how good you are!" You interlaced your fingers, holding your hands at the height of your head. It was the typical pose of a princess being rescued by a prince. 

"It's quite an honor." He played along with you again and thanks to that, he quickly bowed. Although then his expression changed, subtly demonstrating a little disgust. "I must be honest, this coffee is not very good to say."

"Oh, it sucks? You'll have to take it anyway, for lying." You grabbed your coffee with one of your hands, as you were planning on making a little toast.

"I guess I deserve it." Akechi replied somewhat resignedly, but the expression on his face made you laugh too much. And without further ado, he joined the toast. 

It was thus within seconds, he was able to take all his americano. He interspersed his face with disgust with a smile.

To make him feel even worse, you constantly repeated how good your coffee was. And he did nothing but laugh, as your laugh was quite contagious. When you both finished your drinks, it didn't take you long to get out of Big Bang Burger.

"Akechi-san, are you heading home after this?" Since it was your neighbor, you were hoping there was a slight chance that you two would get back together.

"Actually, no. I have to get back to work in 15 minutes." He made an expression worthy of a young child, as if he didn't want to go to work. And at that moment, I understood him completely. It could be very heavy for him.

"Huh, really?" You did a little pouting, trying to match his energy. 

"Yes, I will be home late today." He mentioned as he slowly started walking and without hesitation, you followed him as they were going in the same direction.

"It's a shame, I thought we'd get back together. I enjoy our talks." You folded your arms as you walked down the streets of Shibuya, getting closer and closer to the famous crossing.

"Unfortunately that will not be possible today." You could bet you'd heard some melancholy in his words, but you didn't want to be too hasty. Still, you were thrilled that he enjoyed it, too.

"Eat well!" You used your index finger to put more emphasis on your words, this time using your eyebrows as well. "That's what my grandmother would tell you."

"Don't worry, I'll eat after work." He replied with a small smile, which still looked genuine. "This is where we split up. I'd love to join you a little longer, but that would slow me down."

"Don't worry, for real!" You bowed to thank him. "I don't want you to be late."

"Excellent, then I'll leave." Both had ended up right in front of the Shibuya crossing, which meant you were technically close to home. "I hope you can feel better, (L/N)-san."

"Meeting you has definitely made me feel better, Akechi-san. "It was too obvious, but thanks to his presence the stress you were carrying had completely disappeared. "Good luck at work! I hope it's not a heavy day."

"It's a relief to know." He was honest in saying that, you had no doubt about it. And in a way, it felt good. You didn't feel alone. "... (L/N)-san, at 8 P.M could you please watch channel 6?"

"Oh, channel 6... All right!" While it made you a little curious to say that out of the blue, you could only nod. "See you tomorrow!"

"Yes, see you tomorrow." He didn't take long to say that, as the lights had turned red, so you didn't have to waste time. He soon began to walk.

However, you didn't hesitate to stare at him for a couple of seconds. And it was a nice coincidence to find that he was doing the same thing, too. That's why you didn't take long to smile at him subtly, and he just smiled back at you.

It was there that you could see that he had diverted his way to accompany you a while longer. All you could think of was that Akechi was definitely a good person.

Besides, it didn't take you long to get home and to your luck you weren't given too much homework today. So in a matter of minutes, you had it done. Thanks to that, you were waiting very carefully for it to be 8 P.M. since you wanted to know what your neighbor meant. 

That's where you got a message from your friend.

**Ren**

**7:50 P.M**

Sorry I'm talking to you this late, but what happened today?

**You**

**7:50 P.M**

Kamoshida sucks, there's not much more to say.

He is manipulating Takamaki.

**Ren**

**7:51 P.M**

Is that what she told you? 

**You**

**7:51 P.M**

Yeah, at first she regretted it but then she felt so much better.

We have to do something, Ren.

We can't ignore this.

**Ren**

**7:53 P.M**

I know, but you have to give Ryuji time to think.

After a few minutes, you told him you had something important to do. That's why you blocked your phone for a while. When it was 8 P.M, it didn't take you long to put on the channel Akechi told you earlier. Your grandmother had also joined in, sitting with you on the couch. You laid your head on her shoulder with a little smile, you loved those moments with her.

"And now, onto the "Hottest Meet-and-Greet" segment of the show, being this his first appearance! We welcome you to this fine gentleman today." At the time, the camera was focusing only on the announcers, so you had no idea who was talking. Until they switched cameras. "It's the high school detective, Goro Akechi!"

"Eeeeeeeh?" Was the only thing you could say, since you couldn't believe what you were seeing. Your neighbor was on national television, being interviewed. "No way."

"Is that Goro-Chan? That's amazing!" Your grandmother said cheerfully enough, giving a little applause. She looked pretty happy for him.

"Yup... Akechi told me to put this channel on but I had no idea he was gonna show up..." At that moment, you just brought your head closer to the TV, as if that would help you understand better. 

"If he told you, it's because he wanted you to see him, (N/N)." While your grandmother was turning up the TV louder, you could only nod. Never in your life have you paid so much attention to a channel.

The interview was basically based on recent public transport accidents, as Akechi was investigating these cases. To your surprise, hearing him speak in such a complete and intellectual way struck you. You had no idea about that side of him. Your neighbor, without a doubt, was a person full of surprises. 

On the other hand, you were quite surprised by the way he was behaving in front of the cameras. His prince essence was even more noticeable than usual and people seemed to love that, as viewers of the show always shouted after he answered something.

After a few minutes, the segment came to an end. Despite that, the announcers asked him about his personal life.

"Oh! Now that you ask, I actually had a pretty heavy week thanks to the hard research, as a student I need some rest! Haha." You could hear how the whole studio had laughed at his comment, his charisma was undoubtedly powerful. "But today I was lucky to have a good rest and it was quite nice, I needed it. Coffee is becoming my best friend lately."

That left you thinking a bit, since you had met in the afternoon. Anyway, you were excited that he was referring to you. You were happy with the idea of having a new friend. 

For the same reason, you took your phone quickly to send him a message. Luckily, he didn't take long to answer.

**You**

**8:37 P.M**

Grams is as surprised as I am, we had no idea!

She told me to tell you that you were amazing, that you've outdone yourself.

**Goro Akechi**

**8:39 P.M**

I won't lie, I was waiting for this message and more for the Yabuki-san part.

It's really an honor for me.

**You**

**8:39 P.M**

You two seem to be very good friends... 

I'm warning you, don't steal my grandmother. That would be personal!

**Goro Akechi**

**8:39 P.M**

Today we met again in the morning, it is always a pleasure to talk to her.

And don't worry, if I steal her from you, you won't realize it.

It was really easy to have a nice conversation with him and you were very grateful for that. When it was a certain time, you had to leave him to go to dinner. Still, you wished him good night, since you had to go to school in the morning. You had to sleep early.

* * *

Following the same routine as yesterday, you ended up outside the subway station with Ren. Both were talking about various topics, until you were able to hear certain comments from some girls who were freshmen.

"I can't believe Suzui-senpai missed such an important meeting. I wonder what happened." It was a conversation that caught your attention.

"Mr. Kamoshida asked to see her. I've heard rumors about how the two of them stay late together..." Her friend answered her.

"I wonder what's going on... you don't think they're...?" That last bit was surprising, since you were understanding what she meant.

"Nah, it couldn't be..." 

"Man, it's been nothing but bad news lately. I'm worried about the future..." Your friend saw you a little worried, but you understood well why. Everything was losing control. "Oh, that reminds me. Apparently I guess he's coming to school today. Some young guy I think..."

After that, you decided not to hear any more about their conversation. And that's how you headed to class, because you had nothing else to do. 

The hours passed, until you got to class with Mr. Ushimaru. And since the professor already had high expectations for you, you should pay close attention to him.

"So I assume all of you know about the separation of powers? There are three branches in our government. The National Diet is legislative, the Cabinet is executive and the Supreme Court is judiciary. The division of powers provides checks and balance, which ensures no one branch becomes unstoppable."

Being located behind Ren, you were also surprised to see Morgana magically appear from his desk. You didn't quite understand how it got there, but you were still very perplexed.

"Have you made up your mind?" Hearing him talk was still too much for you, so you got scared again. "No matter how much thinking you do, there's only one option. You'd be better off just listening to me." 

"Don't talk." Ren was right in telling him that.

"Hm? Did I just hear a cat just now?" The professor soon asked. And that caused a great uproar in the classroom. "Hm... Could that rumored cat be somewhere nearby? Settle down! We're in a middle of an important lecture!"

And as soon as Ushimaru turned around, your phone vibrated. It was a message that Ryuji sent to the group.

**We Don't Know Yet**

**Ryuji**

**10:20 A.M**

It's no use... I can't think of any other way...

**Ren**

**10:20 A.M**

Concentrate in class.

**You**

**10:20 A.M**

You too.

**Ryuji**

**10:21 A.M**

I can't deal with that shit right now. I mean, what're we gonna do about Kamoshida?

Do we just gotta go along with what that cat says?

Urgh, that damn furball...

"If he only knew I'm reading this too..." Morgana added, a little ashamed for that message from your friend.

"Hey... What's that...!?"

"Enough! This is a classroom!" You left your eyes blank when you heard that remark.

"Wait... She's going to jump!"

A strange pressure took place in your chest, you couldn't process those words well. It strained you too much, although seconds later you began to tremble a little. 

"Suzui...?" You heard Mishima speak, there was too much concern in her voice.

"Shiho...?" At the time, you knew everything was going downhill. Takamaki had automatically stood up when she heard her best friend's name. And she just ran out of the classroom.

You kept your cell phone in your pocket, you didn't know what to do. But when you saw Ren stand up, you knew you had to follow him.

The three of you stood in front of the window, but bumping into the view didn't feel good. You could only swallow a little saliva, but no sooner did you see the girl jump, you felt like everything was starting to cloud over. It was because of the tears that piled up in your eyes, you couldn't believe you were seeing something like that.

"No... Why? Shiho..." Your classmate didn't take too long to run again, she was heading towards her friend. You and Ren didn't hesitate to do the same. Meeting Ryuji on the road.

"Ryuji, come on! We need to go to the courtyard!" You spoke louder than usual, you were very shocked at the time. Your friend just nodded, not knowing very well what to say.

It was impossible to pass with so many people at the gates, everyone was interested in knowing what was going on. And that bothered you too much, because it made it hard for you to get to Suzui. Thanks to the idea of one of your friends, you went to another door and luckily, you were able to get through. Despite bumping into you with a lot of classmates, all made it to the courtyard.

"Class is still in session!" You heard that phrase and you felt like insulting the teacher. It was a complicated situation and that comment was out of line.

While you were very agitated about running to get there, that didn't stop you from getting angry at all those people who were taking pictures and recording the situation.

"What the hell's strong with these people!?" Ryuji looked pretty angry and he was right. Everyone was just so stupid to be doing that and you, without hesitation, took your phone out of your pocket.

"Can you stop disrespecting Suzui-san!? If you don’t stop I'll record all your faces on my phone so that all of Japan can meet the scum of Shujin Academy!" With all your strength, you were quick to scream. Your anger was very obvious, she did not deserve to be trampled on like that at such a crucial moment. Your screams surprised all the students who were holding their phones, and thanks to that, most of them stopped doing those things.

"We need someone to go with her... Are there any teachers around?" One of the paramedics spoke. And a lot of the teachers started to avoid that proposal. It was ridiculous.

"Takamaki-san, go with her!" You approached her pretty quickly and that was enough for her to run to where her friend was.

It was very heartbreaking to see them both that way. No one deserved to live something like that, least of all a high school student. But what hurt you the most is that you already knew who caused all this. Your friends did, too.

"Hey... wasn't Mishima acting weird?" Ryuji asked automatically when watching him run, something strange was happening.

"He knows something." Your friend responded instantly.

"... We're gonna make him talk this time!" 

Thanks to Ryuji's speed, it wasn't very difficult to catch Mishima. Although you didn't agree with the way he was treating him. 

"That hurts!" The boy who had wounds on his face spoke.

"Why'd you run like that? Huh!?" You walked away a little bit from them, being a pure reflection. You were still in shock.

"I didn't run..." His voice was small, he was too scared and clearly didn't know what to do.

"She jumped and tried to kill herself!" Ryuji slapped one of the lockers next to him pretty hard and that noise scared the hell out of you.

"... L-leave me alone." Mishima saying those things confirmed to you once again that he had no idea what to do.

"You're safe with us..." You added, trying to sound at least a little more understanding than your friend.

"She's right! We ain't tryin' to get you busted. We won't say you talked either." The blond's face changed, now looking a little more compressible.

"Suzui... She was called out by Mr. Kamoshida!" You saw how he took his hands to his head, as his eyes filled with tears. You couldn't understand why Kamoshida was so cruel. "I was called by him a number of times too... to the teacher's room. It wasn't just me or Suzui either. He'd nominate someone when he was in a bad mood... and hit them." 

"So the psychical punishment thing was for real..." Your breath stirred again after hearing Mishima's revelation. Your anxiety was eating you alive.

"But yesterday, he called Suzui out of the blue. She didn't make any mistakes or anything... Mr. Kamoshida seemed really irritated that day, so it must've been... worse than the usual." It was there when you connected the dots. And the fury invaded you. Kamoshida took it out on Suzui because Takamaki had refused to go with him.

"He didn't... That son of a bitch!" Your friend's scream took you by surprise again, but you couldn't judge him. Indeed, Kamoshida was a son of a bitch. Still, you were stoic when you saw he started running.

"I bet... Sakamoto's going to find Mr. Kamoshida..." You heard Mishima talk and he seemed right, your friend looked pretty upset with that teacher. "He's probably in the PE faculty office on the second floor." 

"Let's go!" While you didn't understand where you got the strength to run from, someone grabbed your arm to stop you. It was Ren. 

"You stay out of this, it could cause us problems and you don't deserve them. Go to the classroom, we'll keep you updated." He looked you in the eye during each word, it was pretty clear. And you weren't going to convince him no matter how hard you tried. "Please?"

"Just be very careful..." You added something sad, as you couldn't accompany them at the time. And after you said that, the two guys ran after your friend, leaving you all alone.

All you could do was head to your classroom, sit on your desk. Time passed and you did nothing but use your phone, there was a lot of news about what had happened on the internet. It was scary how fast they could be in Japan.

Before the bell rang, you decided to give Takamaki a little hand. She had not yet arrived from the hospital, but her belongings were still in school. So very carefully, you put all her stuff in her bag. Leaving it ready on top of her desk.

After a few minutes, with your friends already with you, they were able to explain to you the whole situation they had lived with Kamoshida. For the thousandth time in the day, the universe confirmed to you that man was a real scumbag. The last thing you wanted was for your friends to be kicked out of school.

"We can't waste any time. We gotta hurry up and go to that world and beat the shit outta that asshole!" With the four of you in one area of the courtyard, you looked at Morgana a little worried.

"... We're not beating him up, we're simply stealing his distorted desires.... Can I assume that you've made up your minds about this- about how he might suffer a mental shutdown?" The cat questioned each of you. 

"... I have." Ryuji replied, looking a little more relaxed. "Someone almost died because of him! I don't give a rat's ass what happens to him anymore!"

"And you two?" Seeing you and Ren, the cat asked them again. 

"We agree." The boy responded, listening rather seriously. So his voice had been a little more serious than normal.

"We have to prevent this from happening again..." You leaned your back on one of the vending machines, you were mentally exhausted.

"... Then it's settled." 

"By the way, is gettin' rid of a Palace hard? You've tried before, right?" They were questions you had too. 

"... When did I ever say that?" Morgana mentioned it with a kind of smile on his face. Which made you a little desperate.

"... Eh? WHAT!? Were you just pretendin' to know!?" You looked at Ren trying to understand what was going on, but he was just as confused as you.

"Is it true that you're getting expelled?" A certain female voice took place, being from Takamaki. She sounded devastated and it was obvious that she had her motives. "Everyone's talking about it..."

"That asshole's at it again!" You breathed a big sigh, not knowing what to say. "So you came all this way to tell us that?" 

"If you're going to deal with Kamoshida... let me in on it too." The boys were surprised to hear it, but you understood it perfectly. She wanted revenge for her best friend. "I can't just sit back and do nothing after what happens to Shiho!"

"This has nothing to do with you... Don't butt your head into this..." It was unusual to hear Ryuji speak in a serious way, but it seemed necessary.

"But it does! Shiho's my-" Takamaki spoke as if she lumped in her throat, but was interrupted. "I said don't get in our way!"

You knew he'd been pretty rough on her and you understood why, but he must have been a little more tactful. She nearly lost her best friend that day. 

Without delay, the four of you left the school, ending up in the alley in front of the school.

"The moment we cross over, we'll treat each other like a Phantom Thieves, so I hope you're ready." Morgana said excitedly.

"Phantom Thieves? What do you mean by that?" With your arms crossed, you saw the cat with some curiosity.

"Those who covertly sneak in and stylishly steal Treasure-that is what we become!" 

All in all, it was a pretty cool name for the band; so none of you could complain about it. With a previous preparation, all managed to return successfully to the palace. Although the problems did not take long to make themselves present. 

In the distance, you had heard Takamaki's voice, which meant that something had gone wrong. Her being there was really dangerous, so after a little argument, the four of you managed to get her back in the real world.

She left you thinking how willing she was to help, she really wanted to give it all up for her friend. She was very admirable.

"The shadows have noticed us, you better braces yourselves, got it?" As if it were a scolding, you could only agree to Morgana's words. "We're counting on you, Joker!"

"Joker? That a nickname?" You looked at Ryuji a little confused, you didn't understand either.

"Don't refer to it in such a lame way, it's a code name! What's kind of stupid phantom thief would use their real name!? I'm not down for that!" Morgana seemed really interested in that subject. "And there's no telling what kind of effect yelling our real names will have on the palace... It's just a precaution."

"So, uh, why's he Joker?" Your friend asked.

"Because he's out trump card when it comes to fighting strength." Joker didn't seem to understand, but he didn't complain about his code name. He had style.

"Not bad." That's all he said.

"Next up is you, Ryuji. You'll be. Let's see... Thug." You quickly carried one of your hands into your mouth, sharply avoiding a laugh.

"Are you pickin' a fight with me!? I'll choose it myself!" You let out a little giggle. "Hm... When it comes to me, it's gotta be this mask. Honestly, I actually like it. What if we named me after this?"

"Fine... Why not Skull then?" Again, it caused you tenderness as Morgana's ears moved according to her emotions.

"Ooooh! That sounds awesome! I'm Skull!" Watching him celebrate by his code name was a memorable thing, seeing him this happy was something you liked too much.

"Next up is you, (Y/N)..." You nodded when you heard your name, seeing your two friends with a wide smile. You wanted to see what names they had for you. 

"She looks like an angel in that outfit." A certain low voice took place again, being Joker. 

"Yeah, it looks like she's coming from heaven!" Skull said something nervous. It was adorable that your friends thought of you that way. 

"Well, Athena is basically a greek goddess. Her home is the Olympus and that is in the sky." You used your fingers to quote on that last one, and suddenly an idea popped into your head. "Guys, what do you think of Olympia?"

"I like it, it's good and simple." Morgana responded, and with his approval, it was enough."It's settled then."

"What do we do about this one's code name?" Skull asked you and Joker. "How 'bout Mona?"

"Well, if Joker thinks it's easier to call me that, then I'll go with it." Mona said, sounding more and more confident... "All right. From here on out, we're Joker, Skull, Olympia, and Mona. We need to be absolutely thorough about using those code names from now on!"

Minutes after you entered the castle, you could see in the central hall how a certain king gave orders to his soldiers.

"Hey, Mona. Can't we just beat the crap outta him and call it a day?" He had a point, the faster, the better.

"Look at all the soldiers, idiot! It'd be suicide. And I'm sure you don't want a repeat of last time. Besides, don't you want him to confess his sins?" Mona also had a point, all you wanted was for Kamoshida to confess all his crimes. "There's no point beating him up. We need to steal his materialized desires. The Treasure."

"The Treasure... Where is it, Mona?" You took the courage to ask him, in a low voice so as not to make your presence at the scene obvious.

"It has to be somewhere in the depths of this castle. Let's infiltrate further in while he's out here." That was enough for you, as after that you began your infiltration into the castle. 

Adding more and more battles, everyone was learning new things about combat. How to use weapons, how to be able to talk to the shadows, good tactics to get the upper hand. Even the fact that Joker could have more than one Persona. That last one was a surprise to everyone.

By the time Mona showed you the safe rooms, everyone was really relieved. 

You were there for quite a while, but after a few minutes Mona heard certain comments that caught his attention. So much so that he soon went to investigate, although when he returned, it was obvious that the situation had worsened.

"This is bad! Your friend... Lady Ann! She's been taken by shadows!" The desperation in his voice was too obvious, and in turn contagious.

"B-but we sent her home earlier! Fuck!" The nervousness completely took over your body, but you had to keep your composure.

"Dammit! We let her out for her own safety, and she just came back in by herself!" Skull took one of his hands to his head, looking too exasperated. "We don't got time to be takin' a break!"

Because of that, you had no choice but to go after Takamaki. With all your strength you began to run in the direction of the screams, and thanks to that, you could notice that she had no idea where she was. 

Getting closer, you could only wonder why she was back. You had been very clear telling her that it was a very dangerous place for her, that she should not be in there.

When you all reached a door, the screams were heard relatively close, so you were completely sure she was in that room.

"You ready?" Everyone turned to see Mona, nodding together. You had to save her. "We got this!"

When you opened the door, the first thing you found was a couple of girls with their torso totally naked. And you could even recognize their faces, they were students at school. Some of them were your classmates. 

You could not with such repulsion, you wanted to end everything, you did not want Kamoshida to continue with his perversions. 

"This is effed up!" Skull said. "Is that what he thinks of the girls on the volleyball team!?"

"Guys, there she is!" You started running in her direction, still keeping a distance from your enemies.

"Just when I was about to start enjoying myself..." No sooner did he say a word, you without hesitation took your weapon carefully. The one Skull had given you days ago. You had to be ready for any quick attack.

"What's the deal with this guy?" You wanted to answer her, but you had no idea either.

"You little..." The blond said, full of anger.

"... How many times are you gonna come back?" It was at that moment that you prepared your gun, you were pointing it at him without fear. You weren't planning to shoot him, but rather intimidate him. And that helped because in his face you could see a lot of anguish, at least for a few seconds.

"Shut the fuck up!" You mentioned stepping one step closer to him, though Mona quickly shouted at you. So you decided to listen.

"I bet you're just like those thieves. You came because you're pissed at me, huh? But, ah... I forgot that chuck's name, but it's your fault she jumped, you know." You stared too hard at him, you just wanted him to shut up completely. 

And thanks to an order from Joker, you took a few steps back; put yourself behind him. You only listened to him so as not to cause more trouble, but you could understand his concern. Without further ado, you began to hear Kamoshida's ridiculous comments, and it hurt you deeply to see Ann completely hurt. 

"Shiho... I'm so sorry..." She mentioned as if she had already given up. As if she was waiting for her end. And you couldn't allow that.

"Ann! You know you're a lot stronger than this. You must finish him off and you know it, please... don't listen to him!" You screamed with the intention that she would hear you well, she needed that push to regain self-confidence.

"You're right, letting this piece of shit toy with me... What was I thinking!?" As if your soul was returning to your body, hearing those words from her made you feel better. 

"It's like I always say. Slaves should just behave and-" 

"... Shut up! I've had enough of this... You've pissed me off, you son of a bitch!" It didn't take you long to see Mona, who was actually as surprised as you are. If you weren't mistaken, this could be the awakening of the Person of Ann.

And so it was, seeing her suffer was quite complicated. They couldn't do anything about it, it was basically part of the process and they couldn't interrupt it. But on the other hand, they didn't let their guard down. They were ready to fight at any moment.

But everyone was perplexed when they saw her tear the mask off her face. She was like you. She had her own rebellion.

When her Persona appeared, Ann's attire also changed. It was indeed very pretty, of beautiful red color, although it was somewhat revealing. You didn't know if she'd agree to that. 

"She's good!" You mentioned quite excited after watching her tear apart her own shadow. 

**"You know what? I'm not some cheap girl you can be with... you scumbag."**

"Bitch..!" Fear was the only thing the "King" could feel.

**"You stole everything from Shiho… You destroyed her… Now it's your turn! I will rob your everything!"**

"How dare you! Enough of your insolence!" Who seemed to be his best soldier spoke.

"No, I've had enough of you! No one's gonna stop me now!" Ann replied. "Let's go, Carmen!"

With that scream being the signal, everyone got into a fighting position.

And so a new battle began, where one of you had to stay outside. That was Mona, he assured you that he was going to protect you from his place. Ann's attacks were the strongest, as they left the enemy completely weak. You couldn't expect less from her, as she was inevitably a pretty strong girl. Thanks to her, it wasn't too hard to defeat the enemy.

But what caught your attention was his last words. 

"To think… there would be a woman… who could stand up to King Kamoshida..." The guard captain said.

**"Pfft, outside of school, that guy's nothing but a pathetic loser!"**

Without delay the shadow faded away, being that her great victory. However, it did not surprise your friends that Kamoshida soon escaped. He was so useless that he could do nothing on his own, not even defend himself. 

"Are you all right, Lady Ann?" Mona looked genuinely concerned about her.

"Lady Ann? Wait, what is this thing? Is it alive? How can it talk?" Hearing so many questions in so few seconds made you laugh a little, but you completely understood her confusion. "And... where in the world are we?"

"J-just calm down. Everything's going to be okay; don't worry." It was at that time that you saw Skull, who was just paying attention to his little conversation.

"How am I supposed to calm down!?" You saw how Ann used Mona's head to get up, but you could also see how weak she was.

"We must go now..." You said.

"Why am I dressed like this!? When did I- Ugh, what's with this!?" The girl's desperation made your heart ache, she looked really uncomfortable with her appearance at the time. But you had a good idea.

"Joker…your coat. Give it to me." The boy in the black suit didn't take too long to give you what you asked for, and while it looked heavy, it was just the opposite. Now you understood how Joker moved so easily. "Takamaki, put this on."

"T-thanks..." She murmured as she put on the coat slowly. Fortunately, she managed to cover her entire body.

"We don't have a choice. Let's retreat for now!" 

With the effort of Skull and Joker to carry Ann in their arms, they set off, sneaking out of the castle. Although it was difficult to avoid any kind of battle, they achieved it thanks to good teamwork.

Being back in the real world it was all too obvious that your classmate understood absolutely nothing. It was something new to her, something extremely unreal. However, you couldn't risk having such a conversation in front of the school, as it could raise suspicion. So with some speed, all of you were able to get to the Aoyama-Itchome station. Ryuji, being attentive as always, bought each of you a drink to gain some energy. And without delay a new conversation had begun, where Ann once again, insisted on helping.

"Then let me help too. I want to make him pay for what happened to Shiho. He just keeps going like nothing happened, even after what he did to her... I'll never forgive him." You could only think of how admirable she was.

"Wait, did you just say-" Ryuji began to speak but for the first time you decided to interrupt him.

"That would be great, Takamaki-san!" You decided to see her with a smile, and she answered without hesitation with another. "You're really strong and you fight pretty well, I don't think that's a problem. Right, Ren?"

"Yeah, she'll be great." He replied in a somewhat cheerful way, as he also had a smile on his face. Even Morgana agreed, it was funny to hear him so excited.

"Ugh, fine..." Your blond friend answered.

"Then it's decided. Well, I hope we get along!" His expression changed radically, now looking too serious. "I'm going to make Kamoshida atone for what he did. Not just for Shiho's sake... but for everything he's done. I won't let any more people suffer because of him, I'll do whatever it takes!"

That's where you felt a strong fighting resolve from Ann. She was going to be pretty good in the band.

"Just let me know when you're heading back in... Oh wait! We don't have each other's info. Hey, give me your number and chat ID!" Within seconds everyone took out their phones, passing the information over Bluetooth. That's where you got Ann's contact. "I'll be counting on you then! Same goes for you, Morgana."

"The pleasure is all mine, Lady Ann." You thought you were hearing wrong. But was Morgana trying to sound like a gentleman? On the other hand, the girl had already left the station. The four of you were together again.

"What a kind girl... Such admirable consideration for others. And the innocence to cast herself into the jaws of death to achieve her goal. She cares about her friends, and she's beautiful to boot... What a girl! She's captured my heart." While the cat was saying his monologue, you could only see Ryuji. Both had an expression of cringe on your faces.

"And what about me? I'm just an average girl?" You snorted, then showed them your worst grimace. Although it was pretty obvious that you were joking.

"Dude." After he said that word, you heard Ren laugh a little bit. "You know, it'd be better if this group could get together quick from now on..."

Embarking on a new plot, you all decided to choose the roof of the school as your hideout. You had to take advantage of it since almost no one frequented that place. Besides, it was very easy to get there. 

After that, you all said goodbye as none of you wanted to be home late. After arriving at Shibuya Station, you felt very relieved as you were near home.

But a certain vibration made you take your phone out of your pocket. Finding yourself with various messages in your friends' group.

**Phantom Thieves?**

**Ryuji**

**7:49 P.M**

Welcome to the group, I guess.

**Ann Takamaki**

**7:55 P.M**

Are you always this nice?

Thank you, I guess...

**Ren**

**7:56 P.M**

Morgana says he's gonna protect you forever.

… I was forced to write that.

**You**

**7:57 P.M**

Welcome to the group, Takamaki-san! 

Please let me know when you get home.

Inevitably you started to laugh at how the conversation continued in the group, your friends could be really chaotic without realizing that. And in a way, it was quite nice to have another girl in the group. You could have felt even more comfortable. 

Even though things were dangerous at the moment, it was cozy to know you had people to count on.

Already inside your apartment, you decided to take a good shower and take a look at all your homework. It didn't take you long to do them.

And after a good dinner, you decided to take a little look at an area of your building that you hadn't visited yet. 

Your grandmother had been slow to tell you, but everyone who lived in the building could visit the top-floor terrace. It had a huge pool and also lots of couches to rest. You were still surprised to live in such a luxurious place, but you had to start enjoying yourself. This was your new life and you had to get used to it.

With your phone in your pocket and your headphones on, you walked out of your house in your pajamas. You were not ashamed of someone seeing you like this, as it was extremely normal to be dressed like that. You pressed the last button, which indicated being the one on the terrace, you only waited about 40 seconds to get there. It was a pretty high place.

To be honest with yourself, you were speechless. The lighting and setting of the place were incredible. Everything seemed to be unreal. 

"Wow..." You were stunned. And every step you took confirmed that this place was wonderful. 

The way the moonlight was reflected in the pool, the way the breeze was so refreshing. And the ambient music made everything better, it was a place where you could really relax. 

"You know? I'm starting to think you're a stalker of mine." You stopped walking completely when you heard that because you thought you were alone in there. Although, after turning your face a little to see, you could only smile when you saw who it was.

"Oh my god! I can't believe it's you! The detective prince, Goro Akechi!" You were quick to act, teaching him your best presentation from a crazy fan. He laughed as he closed his book. 

"Do you need an autograph? I'm sorry, I can't right now." He replied as if he were a big celebrity. 

"Dammit! Now how will I show my friends that I met Akechi himself?" You made a pretty big face of sadness, although it didn't take you long to laugh. The same thing happened to him. 

"Good evening, (L/N)-san, I did not expect to see you here." With his hand, he indicated that you were free to sit on the couch in front of him. "Please."

"Our encounters are always coincidences, don't you think?" You sat where he pointed you out, surprised by how comfortable that chair was. Although, you didn't hesitate to smile at him in a funny way. "Or are you stalking me, Akechi-san?"

"I've been caught again." He left his book on his legs so he could lift his arms as if the police were asking him to. 

"I knew it..." You shook your head about how goofy your conversations could become. "But hey!"

"Yes?" He looked at you in a confused way, tilting his head a bit too. As if he couldn't figure out what you meant.

"You were great yesterday!" You were quite honest with your words, your neighbor yesterday completely surprised you. "I had no idea you were so well known!"

"Oh..." For a few seconds, you noticed that he didn't really know what to say, as if he was a little nervous. "Did you find the interview interesting?"

"Of course! Grams and I were shocked by your way of expressing yourself." While you were talking, you took off your headphones and put them in your pockets. "She even clapped when you finished."

"Yabuki-san is certainly a good woman." He said, looking a bit proud of himself. "I am totally flattered, thank you very much."

"It's nothing, really!" You ended up thinking that Akechi was too modest, as he knew how to respond well to compliments.

"... Is this your first time here?" You heard him say and you just nodded slightly. Although it was enough for him. "I see."

"I've never been in a place like this, I'm amazed." You nailed your eyes to the city lights, which were so wonderful. Shibuya was a place full of magic and its streets were proof of that. 

"Shibuya is magical." You opened your mouth a little by listening to him, as you felt he had read your thoughts. 

"It really is..." You decided to take a look at the view in front of you for a few more seconds until you considered it enough.

"I didn't see you at the station today." His comment left you thinking a bit, as he was right. "Are you already avoiding your stalker?"

"No! But I assumed you went to work today too." You decided to cross your legs. "I bet it's you who's avoiding me, Akechi-san."

"In fact... your presence is quite endearing!" While your smile was subtle, his words made you feel pretty good. "Would you mind if we went to the train station together tomorrow?"

"I'd love to, actually." That's where your smile grew, being too wide now. And it was nice to see him smile too.

"Excellent." Akechi said. 

"Excellent." You answered him the same way, so he let out a little laugh. 

"But tell me, how was your day?" That question was the one that made you feel a little nervous, but you understood that he was interested in knowing, so you didn't take long to answer it. 

You knew in advance that telling him what you went through your day was going to leave the atmosphere a little tense, but on the other hand, you needed to vent it out with someone. So, you talked to him about your classmate's suicide attempt, and how ignorant Shujin's students were. 

That generated a curious expression on his face, although he didn't say much. He just wanted to hear you talk, to know how your day had gone. Because in a way, he just wanted to be friendly with his new neighbor. "And how are you?" 

"Overwhelmed..." You placed your two elbows on your legs, then your left hand on your face. "But well, life goes on."

"I can get an idea." In his eyes, you could see sincerity. He really looked worried about you. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but... Did the professor you mentioned yesterday has anything to do with it?"

You didn't know how to react after hearing his analysis, but that was enough for him, as he quickly took it as a yes.

"As I mentioned yesterday, if you need help, don't hesitate to talk to me." As if he was trying to improve the atmosphere, he seemed ready to start joking. 

_"That's what a good neighbor does, right?"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hellooo everyone! i know it’s been two weeks? but i had a really bad time at home, so i had no inspiration to write this chapter. ):  
> moving on!!!! ann it’s finally here, my baby 😭  
> and... is akechi trying to impress reader?? we’ll never know !!!  
> i hope you guys like it. 🥺  
> thanks for reading this (!!!)  
> luvya 💖

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is my first fic, so i'm kinda nervous about it.  
> Just to make clear, english is not my first language, so there may be some mistakes on this chapter. ):  
> Don’t worry tho, i'll be editing this on the weekend. 
> 
> I hope you like it,,,, this is like my own child.
> 
> Our boi Akechi is going to be here for the next chapter, so wait for him!
> 
> (I will try to upload every Thursday!)
> 
> Thanks for reading, luv ya. <3


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